History remembers the great, but it immortalizes those who rise beyond greatness. When we speak of the great sports legends of India, one name does more than echo through stadiums: “Milkha Singh.”

The man who turned pain into power, loss into legacy, and adversity into accomplishments. He not only ran races but also climbed through every obstacle that life placed before him. And that’s how he became the unbreakable spirit and the Flying Sikh.

Let us walk you through the brief life story of Milkha Singh and inspire future generations. By the end, you will definitely draw inspiration from the resilience, courage, and faith of Milkha Singh’s biography.

Milkha Singh’s True Date of Birth:

Milkha Singh’s date of birth is still confusing to many. Some mentioned it as Oct 17, 1935, while others said it’s Nov 20, 1929. Luckily, in the autobiography of Milkha Singh, he acknowledged the confusion and clearly recorded Nov 20, 1932, as his official birth date.

Picking Up the Pace:

The initial days of his childhood were challenging, but he never stepped back. He studied 11 kilometers away from his village, Muzaffargarh (now in Pakistan). Shockingly, he used to cover the distance by walking barefoot every day.

During summer, the ambitious child used to beat the heat of the long walk by running. However, the breakthrough points in his life came during the partition of India in 1947, when he lost his parents and siblings in riots.

Struggles and Small Jobs

After this tragedy, he stayed at railway stations for some time and at refugee shelters, doing jobs such as polishing shoes or cleaning shops.

In 1950, Milkha Singh with his friends decided to join the army, but Singh got rejected three times. Then he decided to take a job as a mechanic in a local market. Additionally, he worked in a rubber factory but could not survive the heat and had a stroke.

Later in 1952, he was recruited into the Indian Army as a Sepoy and got deployed in Srinagar. Here, he was sent to the Electrical Mechanical Engineering unit of the Army.

The Race of Flying Sikh Begins Here

• During his time in the Indian Army, he discovered his true spirit in running cross country. He took part in various competitions when his instructor, mainly Havildar Gurdev Singh, noticed how fast the young man’s legs could carry him.
• With regular training and hard work, he excelled at the 400-meter run. The surprising part about this time was that he ran barefoot for about three years.
• He had an impressive performance in the 400-meter sprint at the National Games in Patiala, Punjab.
• In 1956, Milkha Singh was selected for the Olympic Games in Melbourne but unfortunately was eliminated.

This elimination impacted him hard, and he started practicing even more devotedly. All this dedication paid off in 1957 when he won multiple national races and set several national records.

More Awards and Achievements by Milkha Singh

Here is the concise list of medals achieved by Milkha Singh and the major races he participated in.

Year 1958

Milkha Singh won both the 200-meter and 400-meter races. Also, he set a record of running a 400-meter race in just 47 seconds in the Asian Games.

At the Commonwealth Games held at Cardiff, Singh won another gold for 400 meters. It was India’s first-ever athletics gold in Commonwealth Games history.

Year 1959

Awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award of the Republic of India.

Year 1960

• Though he narrowly lost the bronze medal in the 400 meters at the Rome Olympics, he finished 4th.
• His national record of reaching the finish line in 45.73 remained untouched for 40 years.
• The same year, he was invited to race in Pakistan, where he defeated Khaliq. From his phenomenal performance, he earned the title “Flying Sikh” from General Ayub.

Year 1962

Milkha Singh retained his 400-meter gold at the Asian Games in Jakarta. Alongside, he attained another gold medal in the 4×400-meter relay.

Year 1964

The final appearance of Milkha Singh was seen in Tokyo’s Olympic Games. He participated in the national 4 × 400 team that failed to advance past preliminary heats.

Milkha Singh took retirement after the Tokyo Olympics at the age of around 32.

Beyond the Finish Line

After all the great achievements and a historic career, Milkha Singh donated all his medals to the nation. He got married to the former volleyball captain Nirmal. Together they raised four children; their son Jeev Milkha Singh later became a golfer.

The biography of Milkha Singh, aka Flying Sikh, is a symbol of passion and perseverance for generations to come. After his retirement from competitive career, he later served as the Director of Sports, Punjab, for more than 30 years before retiring in 1998.

In 2013, Milkha Singh released his autobiography, The Race of My Life. It was later adapted as a Hindi movie with the name “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag”. The great legend only accepted one Indian rupee from film director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra for the rights to this biopic.

The Final Farewell to Flying Sikh

A week after his beloved wife’s departure, Milkha Singh left his body during Covid-19 at age 91. It is said that he got the influence of pneumonia and had been admitted to Fortis Hospital in Mohali.

With 77 international race wins, Milkha Singh left a mark on all athletes and Indians. He proved that greatness is not born but built through discipline, heart, and an unbreakable will.