He represented the nation at the Olympics in 1956, 1960 and 1964.
NEW DELHI — Milkha Singh, one of India’s first sport superstars and ace sprinter who overcame a childhood tragedy to become the country’s most celebrated athlete, has died. He was 91. Singh’s family said he died late Friday of complications from COVID-19 in a hospital in the northern city of Chandigarh. Milkha Singh had first tested positive for the coronavirus on May 20. His wife Nirmal Kaur, a former volleyball captain, had died of the virus just days earlier. She was 85. “He fought hard but God has his ways,” Singh’s family said in a statement. Popularly known as “the Flying Sikh,” Singh was the first Indian athlete to win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in the 400m division in 1958. He narrowly missed out on an Olympic medal, finishing fourth at the 400m final of the 1960 Rome Games. Singh represented India at the Olympics in 1956,1960 and 1964.
