Milkha Singh: Why was the Indian sprint legend called 'Flying Sikh' 

Milkha Singh, the legendary Indian sprinter, left behind a towering legacy as he passed away on Friday night due to Covid-19 complications. He was 91.

The Flying Sikh is survived by three daughters -- Mona Singh, Aleeza Grover and Sonia Sanwalka -- as well as son Jeev Milkha Singh, who is an ace golfer.

One of the biggest Indian sporting icon, he inspired many with his exploits in 200m and 400m events. He had famously finished fourth at 1960 Rome Olympics, 0.13 seconds behind bronze medallist Malcolm Spence of South Africa. His timing of 45.73 in Rome stood as a national record for four decades in the 400m event.

He was also the first Commonwealth Games gold medallist for India as he triumphed in the 440-yard race in Cardiff, 1958. Besides that, he also bagged the Asian Games gold medal thrice.

But his story would remain incomplete without revisiting the time when he earned the moniker 'Flying Sikh'.

Summer of '58

It was in the summer of 1958, that Milkha Singh was at his peak. He had won the gold in 200m and 400m at the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo and became the first Indian to clinch the top podium spot at Commonwealth Games.

Interestingly, in the 200m event, the Indian sprint legend had a photo-finish with Pakistan’s Abdul Khaliq, as he captured the gold by one-tenth of a second. It was then that the Pakistanis would invite Milkha Singh to race at the 1960 Indo-Pak sports meet in Lahore.

“I remember the scorn their (Pakistan’s) coach reacted with when our coach introduced me to him before the race. But after I won, Pakistanis were very gracious and they invited me to race in Lahore,” Milkha had told Firstpost.

Initially, Milkha was quite hesitant about visiting the country as he was haunted by some terrible memories from the partition period. But then after being persuaded by then then Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru, he decided to visit the country and take part in the event.

“The Pakistanis offered me a memorable welcome. I entered Lahore via Wagah border in a decked, open jeep, and people had lined up on either side of the road with flags of both countries. It was so special,” Milkha had told Firstpost.

Milkha had then beaten Khaliq, the 1958 Asian Games champion in 100m, in a 200m event which was closely noticed by General Ayub Khan who gave him the moniker ‘Flying Sikh’.

“He said, 'Milkha ji, you didn’t run in Pakistan, you flew. We would like to give you the title of Flying Sikh.' So if people know me by that moniker, it’s all because of Pakistan’s generosity,” Milkha had said.