Sports fraternity pay tributes to Milkha Singh

Bengaluru, June 19: The sports fraternity all over the world mourned the demise of India's athletics icon Milkha Singh.

The 91-year-old lost his battle with COVID-19 on Friday night after fighting it for almost a month.

The legendary athlete was a four-time Asian Games gold-medallist and the 1958 Commonwealth Games champion but his greatest performance was a near miss, the fourth place finish in the 400M final of the 1960 Rome Olympics.

Milkha Singh: From escaping the tortures of Partition to Flying Singh

His timing at the Italian capital remained the national record for 38 years and he was bestowed the Padma Shri in 1959.

His rise to elite athlete made Singh a national hero and inspired a Bollywood film in 2013 titled Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.

"Dark clouds of sadness prevail with the demise of my idol and inspiration Milkha Singhji. His story of sheer determination and hard work inspired millions and will continue to do so. As a tribute to him, students of Usha School paid homage to the legend. Rest in Peace Folded hands," tweeted India's sprint queen PT Usha.

Dark clouds of sadness prevail with the demise of my idol and inspiration Milkha Singhji. His story of sheer determination and hard work inspired millions and will continue to do so. As a tribute to him, students of Usha School paid homage to the legend.
Rest in Peace 🙏 pic.twitter.com/mLBQQ2ge3v

— P.T. USHA (@PTUshaOfficial) June 19, 2021

More than anything else, Milkha was the one who put Indian athletics on the world map by winning the gold in the then 440 yards race of the 1958 British and Commonwealth Games.

He became the first Indian athlete to win an individual gold in a Commonwealth Games, which led to then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru declaring a national holiday on his request.

"India has lost it's star. Milkha Singh Ji has left us but he will continue to inspire every Indian to shine for India. My deepest condolences to the family. I pray for his soul to rest in peace," tweeted sports minister Kiren Rijiju.

मैं आपसे वादा करता हूँ मिल्खा सिंह जी कि हम आपकी अंतिम इच्छा को पूरा करेंगे।
India has lost it's star. Milkha Singh Ji has left us but he will continue to inspire every Indian to shine for India. My deepest condolences to the family. I pray for his soul to rest in peace🙏 pic.twitter.com/mQVRvfozkB

— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) June 18, 2021

Milkha had put his career record at 77 wins out of 80 races. He also claimed to have bettered the 'Olympics record' of that time in a race in France, but with sketchy records available, it is difficult to confirm just like his actual date of birth which is officially November 20, 1929.

He lost the race of his life in the Rome Olympics, finishing the 400m final in 45.6sec, 0.1sec short of the bronze medal mark. Hard to believe but he had slowed down in a colossal error of judgement as he wanted to preserve himself for the final 150M.

"At MoYAS, we are deeply saddened with the demise of legendary athlete Shri #MilkhaSingh Ji. The nation has lost a precious jewel of Indian sports,today. His life journey will continue inspiring generations to come.

Our sincere condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti 🙏,"tweeed Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports

At MoYAS, we are deeply saddened with the demise of legendary athlete Shri #MilkhaSingh Ji. The nation has lost a precious jewel of Indian sports,today. His life journey will continue inspiring generations to come.

Our sincere condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti 🙏 pic.twitter.com/5Ry1JvzcKa

— Dept of Sports MYAS (@IndiaSports) June 18, 2021

Milkha was a sum total of way more than his several races and medals.

He was India's love affair with the track, the one that this country can never get over.