Pause, rewind, play: When Milkha Singh earned India its first Commonwealth gold; watch

Popularly known as ‘The Flying Sikh’, Milkha Singh died at the age of 91 on June 19 due to COVID-19 complications. He was one of India’s greatest track and field sprinters who have made the nation proud several times. Milkha Singh had put Indian athletics on the world map by winning the gold in the 440 yards race of the 1958 British and Commonwealth Games. And most iconic was when iconic moment was when Milkha Singh finished a whisker behind the bronze medal winner at the 1960 Rome Olympics.

Born on October 17, 1935, in Lyallpur (now Faisalabad), Pakistan, Singh represented India at the Olympics in 1956, 1960 and 1964. He was an Indian track-and-field athlete who became the first Indian male to reach the final of an Olympic athletics event when he placed fourth in the 400-metre race at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. 

Milkha Singh participated in the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games by clocking 46.6 seconds which was a new national record back then and brought an end to India's excruciating wait for a Gold medal at the CWG games. 

Milkha Singh, one of the greatest athletes of India, broke many records and won some of the most prestigious events during the course of his career. Though he is best remembered for the 400-metre race at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome where he narrowly missed out on a podium spot, the 1958 CWG gold in the 440-yard event isn't inferior by any means. 

Milkha's 1958 Commonwealth Games gold medal was truly a landmark moment in Indian sporting history. It was Milkha who had ended India's wait for a yellow metal at the event, though wrestler Lila Ram had also won a gold at the event. 

Milkha's words on the race events

Milkha had once shared his experience of the previous night of the event, how he struggled to put himself to sleep before the big race.

He said, "When a person makes it to the final he is under so much stress that he is unable to sleep," recalled Singh. "It was a very difficult night."

He continued and said, "No-one had heard of Milkha Singh at the Commonwealth Games," he further said. "There were competitors from Australia, England and Canada, from Uganda, Kenya and Jamaica - the athletes who took part were world-class".

(Image credit: AP)