Milkha Singh

Sardar Milkha Singh (20 November 1929 to 18 June 2021), known as "The Flying Sikh", was an Indian track and field sprinter who was introduced to the sport while serving in the Indian Army. He was the first Indian athlete to win gold at 400 metres at both the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games, and won Asian Games gold medals in 1958 and 1962. He represented India at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome and the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, and was awarded the Padma Shri in 1959, India's fourth-highest civilian honour. He is best remembered for his fourth-place finish in the 400 metres final at the 1960 Olympic Games, where he led until about the 200 metre mark before easing off; his time of 45.73 seconds stood as the Indian national record for almost 40 years. Orphaned and displaced during the Partition of India, he became a sporting icon in his country, and he died of complications of COVID-19 on 18 June 2021 at the age of 91.