NEW DELHI, Jun 19 (NNN-PTI) – Indian sporting icon, Milkha Singh, a runner who was fondly called the “Flying Sikh,” died late last night of COVID-19, at the age of 91.
Singh breathed his last in the country’s northern city of Chandigarh.
He had tested positive for COVID-19 last month, while his wife, Nirmal Kaur, had passed away five days ago, due to the pandemic.
Singh was a four-time Asian Games Gold medalist and 1958 Commonwealth Games champion.
He also represented India in the 1956 and 1964 Olympics, and was bestowed with the “Padma Shri” civilian award in 1959.
Singh was the first Indian track and field athlete to win gold in the then-British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, in 1958.
His most memorable moment was at the 1960 Rome Olympics, where he finished fourth, in the 400m final in a photo-finish.– NNN-PTI
