Chandigarh: A month after contracting the deadly Coronavirus, ‘Flying Sikh’ Milkha Singh breathed his last at PGIMER on Friday night due to post COVID-19 complications. Singh lost his wife Nirmal Milkha Singh just five days before.
The 1958 Commonwealth Games Champion had contracted the virus on May 20 and was admitted to a private hospital in Mohali. He was released on May 24 before being admitted again to PGIMER on June 3 due to his dipping oxygen levels.
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Milkha Singh dominated Indian track and field for over a decade in the 50s and 60s. He represented India at three Olympic Games; Melbourne 1956, Rome 1960 and Tokyo 1964. At the Rome 1960 Olympics, Milkha Singh came within a photo finish of clinching a medal in the 400m race. He finished fourth with a time of 45.73s – a national record that stood for 40 years.
He was also India’s first gold medallist at the Commonwealth Games after he won the 440-yard race in Cardiff in 1958. Milkha Singh is survived by a son, golfer Jeev Milkha Singh, and three daughters.
