Remembering Milkha Singh: The legendary Indian athlete missed an Olympic medal by a whisker. He dominated the 1960 Rome Olympics 400m final for more than half of the race before slowing down and finishing just one spot outside the podium.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Milkha Singh finished 4th in the 400m final at Rome Olympics in 1960
• Milkha Singh had often stressed the Rome Olympics near miss hurt him all his life
• Mikha Singh passed away aged 91 due to Covid-19 complication on Friday

At the elite level in sport, the barest margins decide the winners and losers. India’s only individual gold medalist Abhinav Bindra says athletes don’t see the Games as a once-in-4-years event but it’s an everyday affair for them, considering the hard work they put in daily to realise their dream at the biggest sporting event.

India won its first individual Olympic gold medal in 2008 when Abhinav Bindra shot to glory in Beijing. But the wait could have ended as early as 1960 as Milkha Singh missed out on Olympic glory by a whisker.

The decorated athlete made his Olympic debut in 1956 but he was not able to get past the heats. 4 years later, it was Milkha’s time to shine at the Rome Olympics. Milkha did not give up after the disappointment at his Olympic debut. Instead, he went on to become one of the top athletes in those 4 years.

Also See: Milkha Singh’s life through photos

He won the Asian Games gold medal in 200m and 400m and became the first Indian to win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in 1958. The Commonwealth Games medal was a watershed moment in the history of Indian athletics. It was celebrated so much so that the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru declared a national holiday on his request.

When Milkha Singh headed to the Rome Olympics in 1960, the entire world expected him to win the 400m race. The reigning Asian Games gold medalist breezed through the heats and became the first-ever Indian athlete to reach the final of a track and field event at the Games.

When Milkha Singh finished 4th in Rome Olympic final

Milkha was the fourth fastest runner, leading into the final. In the big showdown, Milkha got off the blocks in a flash and lead the pack. He pushed himself and was comfortably leading the pack for almost 200m.

Just when it looked like Milkha would finish on the podium, he slowed down and allowed the likes of eventual champion Otis David, Carl Kaufmann and Malcolm Spence to pass him. In the end, Milkha lost out on the medal by just 0.01s.

Spence, who had finished second behind Milkha at the Commonwealth Games in 1958, edged past Milkha to finish with a timing of 45.5 seconds.

Over the years, Milkha has often spoken about how heartbreaking the 4th-place finish was at the Rome Olympics. In fact, in an interview with India Today, he said he would not forget the near miss at the Olympics till his last breath.

It was India’s bad luck: Milkha Singh

“There was a gap of 2 days between the semi-finals and the finals. For those two days, I was under a lot of -pressure. I was thinking that the world was watching me and I had to win. The pressure was building up and I could sleep for 2 days,” Milkha had said.

“Before going to Rome, everyone, the whole world was saying Milkha Singh will the 400m race.

“I was leading the race. I covered the first 200m in just 21 seconds. Even today, young athletes might not be able to cover 200m in 21s.

“I thought I might not be able to complete the race at the speed with which I was running, so I dropped my speed. Once you drop rhythm, it is very difficult to get it back. The same thing happened to me.

“Absolutely (hurting memory). I cannot forget this till my death, my 15 years of hard work had gone to waste. It was not my bad luck, it was India’s bad luck,” he said.

Milkha had always hoped that an Indian athlete would be able to bring back the Olympic medal that he dropped in track and field. With Tokyo Olympics just a month away, we can only hope Milkha’s dream comes true.