The story of Milkha Singh — arguably the greatest sportsman independent India has ever produced — is one of the most inspirational and awe-inspiring ever told in the history of sport.
Just 13 years separate Milkha’s flight to freedom in 1947 as a 12-year-old and his flight to the finish line at the 1960 Rome Olympics. But what turbulent and cruel years those were.
Milkha came to be known as ‘The Flying Sikh’ and earned fame around the world. But in 1947 he had just one mission on his mind — to escape to independent India with his life after the massacre of his family.
Athletics was to be his salvation. Two Asian Games, three Olympics and two Commonwealth Games…these events were graced by his dashing presence. Milkha went to Rome as one of the favourites for a medal after an outstanding European season.
He drew the fifth lane in the final held on September 6. He still remembers the race as if it were yesterday.
“Going into the stadium for the final, I was quite relaxed but when I saw my rivals, the tension mounted. And with each minute it increased. I drew lane five with South African Malcolm Spence to my left and the German Manfred Kinder on my right. I was going strong till about 250 metres. But then I slowed down a bit. I thought the pace was very fast and I would fizzle out in the end if I continued at that speed. At that point I even looked back or maybe it was just a side-glance. But that fraction of a second decided my fate. One by one they all caught up with me — Spence, Kaufmann and Otto Davis and it was all over. My mistake will rankle within my heart till my dying days. I could not wipe out the deficit of those six or seven yards in the last 100 metres, though I was running at my best.
“I desperately tried to catch up with at least the boy in the third place (Spence) whom I had beaten in the Commonwealth Games. But he had caught up with the first two runners and it helped him. We crossed the finish line almost together. I knew I had made a crucial mistake but was hoping against hope as I waited for the official photo finish. But as my bad luck would have it, I was declared fourth even though my time (45.6) was better than the existing Olympic record of 45.9. Davis and Kaufman were both clocked at a world record time of 44.9 and Spence was third in 45.5.”
This race was considered one of the greatest of all time with the first two breaking the existing world record and the third and fourth the Olympic record. Even the fifth and sixth place (Kinder and Young) who both clocked 45.9 broke the pre-Rome Olympic mark. It was that kind of race. But that was scant consolation for the heart-broken Milkha who lost the chance of a lifetime.
He now leads a contented retired life in Chandigarh after a stint as Director of Sports in the Punjab government. His son Jeev Milkha Singh is India’s leading pro golfer. The fighting spirit of the Flying Sikh thus lives on in the next generation..
Extracted from Great Indian Olympians