![]() Early Life of Milkha Singh Milkha Singh was born on 8th October 1931 in Faisalabad (now known as Lyallpur, in Pakistan). His parents died in the massacres that took place during the Partition of India in 1947. He was rejected by the army for 3 times, but then finally got enrolled in the electrical mechanical engineering branch of Indian Army in 1952, with reference from his brother Malkhan Singh. While in the army, Singh experienced his first sporting event and was determined to develop his skills as a sprinter. Milkha Singh took training from Coach Havildar Gurdev Singh. Career of Milkha Singh Milkha Singh participated in the Melbourne Olympics in 1956 for the first time and due to lack of experience, he could not perform his best. He won the gold medal in the 200m and 400 m at the 1958 and 1962 Asian Games. Milkha Singh won two medals at the 1962 Asian Games. Milkha Singh also won the gold medal at the 1958 Commonwealth Games. The burst of speed with which he broke the previous Olympic Games record of 45.9 seconds in 400 meters is now a part of folklore in Punjab. He set the record in the 200 and 400 metres at the Cuttack National Games. His national record in the 400m for 33 years and Asian record for 26 years, Milkha Singh became a household name when he clocked 45.6 to finish 4th at the Rome Olympics in I960. It was the closest any Indian athlete had come to winning an Olympic medal. Milkha Singh still retains the monopoly of the 200 meters; his 20.7 seconds clocked during the Indo-Pakistan meet at Lahore on the 31st January 1960. ![]() The biggest moment of his life came in the historic 400 m race in the 1960 Rome Olympics. Milkha Singh was one of the strong contenders for the Gold and had had a fantastic run-up to the occasion, having won 77 of the 80 races, including the Commonwealth Games, that season. He would have surely won a medal at the Rome Olympics, he misjudged his pace and in a split second, 3 others had sped past him. Retirement of Milkha Singh After his retirement, Milkha Singh was appointed as the Director of Sports in Punjab. A film named Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, based on his life, is being made by renowned filmmaker Rakeysh Mehra and features Farhan Akhtar and Sonam Kapoor. Awards and Achievements of Milkha Singh * Gold medal - 1958 Asian Games in the 200 m and 400 m * Gold medal - 1962 Asian Games * 1959- Awarded the Padma Shri |