‘Flying Sikh’ Milkha Singh passes away at 91

Legendary Indian sprinter Milkha Singh passed away on Friday in Chandigarh, at the age of 91, one month after he contracted the deadly COVID-19 virus. The Flying Sikh’s family issued a statement where it was mentioned that the ace sprinter fought very hard in his final days.

1958 Commonwealth Games gold medalist Milkha Singh passed away on late Friday night in Chandigarh after suffering Covid-19 complications a month after he contracted the deadly virus. He died at 91 and is survived by three daughters and Padma Shri awardee Jeev Milkha Singh. 

On May 20, Milkha Singh had tested positive for COVID-19 and was discharged 10 days later, before getting readmitted to the Covid ward at the Nehru Hospital Extension at PGIMER on June 3 because of low oxygen levels. On Thursday (June 17) the ace Indian athlete turned negative and was moved to the medical intensive care unit (ICU).

On June 13, Nirmal Kaur, 85, wife of the swashbuckling Indian athlete and also former India women’s volleyball captain, succumbed to Covid-19 complications at a private hospital in Mohali. 

“He fought hard but God has his ways and it was perhaps true love and companionship that both our mother Nirmalji and now Dad have passed away in a matter of 5 days,” read a statement from the family.

Mikha Singh, who is famously accoladed as ‘The Flying Sikh’, was the only athlete to bag an individual athletics gold medal at the Commonwealth games and his fourth-place timing of 45.37 in the 1960 Rome Olympics 400 metre final became the national record until Paramjeet Singh bettered it in 1998. He was awarded Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award, in 1959. 

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