- Born: 20 November 1929, Govindpura, Pakistan
- Died: 18 June 2021, Chandigarh
- Spouse: Nirmal Saini (m. 1963–2021)
- Nickname(s): The Flying Sikh
- Books: The Race of My Life
- Children: Jeev Milkha Singh, Sonia Sanwalka
- Awards: Padma Shri
Milkha Singh, also known as The Flying Sikh, is a former track and field sprinter from India. He got his start in the sport while he was serving in the Indian Army, where he earned the nickname “The Flying Sikh.”
Before Krishna Poonia won the discus gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2010, he was the only Indian athlete to win an individual athletics gold medal at a Commonwealth Games.
He was victorious in the 400 metres event. In addition, he was a winner of gold medals in the Asian Games in both 1958 and 1962. He competed for India in the Summer Olympics in 1956 in Melbourne, at the Summer Olympics in 1960 in Rome, and at the Summer Olympics in 1964 in Tokyo.
In acknowledgment of his accomplishments in the athletic world, the government of India bestowed upon him the Padma Shri, the country’s fourth-highest civilian honour.
Singh is best known for his performance in the final of the 400 metres at the 1960 Olympic Games, in which he was considered to be one of the favourites going into the race. Milkha Singh finished the race in fourth place.
After leading the race for the first 200 metres, he began to slow down and let the other competitors overtake him. Several records were shattered over the course of the competition, which concluded with a photo finish and saw the United States’ Otis Davis emerge victorious by a margin of one-hundredth of a second over Germany’s Carl Kaufmann.
The timing of 45.73 seconds that Singh posted to finish in fourth place set the Indian national record and stood for over four decades. Singh has risen to become a revered figure in Indian sports from humble beginnings that saw him become an orphan and be forced to flee his home during the Partition of India.
In 2008, writer Rohit Brijnath referred to Singh as “the best athlete India has ever produced,” referring to Singh’s accomplishments in the sporting world.
The newspaper The Independent wrote in July 2012 that “India’s most revered Olympian is a gallant loser” and noted the paucity of success at that time achieved by Indian competitors in the Olympic Games — 20 medals — despite the fact that the country has a population that is greater than one billion people.
Milkha Singh Quotes
- Also Read: Tyson Fury Motivational Quotes for Motivational Development of your character
Dedication, hard work, and an unbreakable willpower… My life experiences have toughened me up to the point that I am no longer afraid of dying. But there is one story that most accurately depicts his wish.
Milkha Singh
When I think back on my life, it is easy to see how my obsession with running has been the driving force behind everything I’ve done. The pictures that keep popping into my head are of people running, running, and running some more.
Milkha Singh
In order for talent to develop and blossom throughout time, it must be cultivated starting at a very early age.
Milkha Singh Quotes
Everywhere I ran, India and Pakistan both ran with me
Milkha Singh
Early to bed and early to wake has always been one of my guiding principles, since rest and sleep aid to boost energy levels.
Milkha Singh
The life of an athlete is challenging, and there will undoubtedly be moments when you will be tempted to give up or take an easy way out; nonetheless, it is important to keep in mind that there are no easy ways to achieve success.
Milkha Singh
The realisation that I had gone from being nobody the night before to being somebody pushed me to tears.
Milkha Singh
In this life, there is no limit to what you may do. It all depends on how much you want to get your hands on that goal.
Milkha Singh
He underlined that I must keep up my pace for the first 300 metres, and that I should save all I have for the last 100 metres of the race. He told me that if I ran the first 300 metres at full speed, Spence would do the same, despite the fact that this was not Spence’s plan for running.
Milkha Singh
I was not going to quit until the bucket I was sweating into was completely full. I would put so much pressure on myself that I would eventually pass out and have to be admitted to the hospital. I would then pray to God to save me and promise that in the future I would be more careful about my actions. After that, I would repeat the process in its entirety.
Milkha Singh
“The establishment of India and Pakistan is not the event from 1947 that has stayed with me the most. I was completely unable to make sense of what was taking place. When I was a young man growing up in a remote area in Pakistan, I had never been near a train, automobile, or bicycle. Because of the unexpected turn of events, I was absolutely perplexed. The only thing that mattered was figuring out how I was going to acquire my next meal, which was often a roti and an onion.
Milkha Singh Quotes
Because they each represent a different stage in my life, each of these occurrences brings back bittersweet memories. My life has been kept afloat by my intense determination to achieve success in the vocation that I have chosen, so each of these moments brings back memories of those stages.
Milkha Singh
“Running as fast as I could from one patch of shade to the next on my way to school in order to get away from the searing heat of the sun.”
Milkha Singh Quotes
When most of my family was slaughtered on that terrifying night, I felt the massacre. I raced trains for fun. I outran the police when I was caught stealing in Shahdra. I left everyone behind in my first race as an army jawan so that I could get an extra glass of milk. I surged past my competitors in Tokyo when I was declared Asia’s best athlete. I ran in Pakistan and was hailed as “The Flying Sikh.””
Our American coach, Dr. [Arthur W.] Howard, had travelled [to Cardiff] with the Indian squad…. I was able to breeze through the preliminary rounds and compete successfully in the finals because to the inspiration and guidance that I received from Dr. Howard.
Milkha Singh
For me, the trail was analogous to an open book in which I could read about the goal of my life and the reason behind it. I venerated it with the same awe that I would pay to the holiest part of a temple, the sanctum sanctorum, where the gods are worshipped and where, as a devotee, I would go down on my knees and pray. In order to maintain my dedication to my objective, I gave up all of the joys and diversions that I used to enjoy in order to focus only on becoming and staying in shape so that I could continue working toward my objective. Running had thus become my deity, my spiritual practise, and my cherished.
Milkha Singh
The elders of our community in Gobindpur Kot had come to the conclusion that they would not convert to Islam even though they were pressured to do so. As a result, our entire community had been massacred. My mother and father, along with two of my siblings, were among those that perished. My older brother made it through; he was a sepoy in the British army and was stationed in Multan at the time. My other two sisters also got married and moved away after their weddings.
Milkha Singh
On the running tracks, Milkha found the reason for his life.
About Milkha Singh
Nothing but Hard Work
Milkha Singh quotes
Running…Running…Running is the only thing I love
Your perspective is shaped by the environment in which you were raised.
You need to learn self-control if you wish to maintain your current level of physical fitness.
Each of these occasions brings to mind bittersweet emotions as they reflect various phases of my life, a life buoyed by my unwavering ambition to succeed in my chosen profession.
These are the Flying Sikh quotes to motivate yourself to achieve your goals in life. Always remember hard work is necessary in life, only be smart work, or thinking smart can not lead you anywhere if you don’t put the thoughts into practice and it needs hard work.