Milkha Singh, one of India's first sporting superstars, who overcame childhood tragedy to become the country's most celebrated athlete, has died. He was 91.
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Singh's family said he died late on Friday of complications from COVID-19 in a hospital in the northern city of Chandigarh.
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 in 1958 became the first Indian athlete to win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, finishing first in the 400m, or 440 yards as it was then, in Cardiff, Wales.
Two years later he narrowly missed out on an Olympic medal over the same distance, finishing fourth in the final at the 1960 Rome Games.
Singh represented India at three Olympic Games, in 1956, 1960 and 1964.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the tributes to the athlete and called him a "colossal sportsperson, who captured the nation's imagination and had a special place in the hearts of countless Indians".
"His inspiring personality endeared himself to millions," Modi said in a tweet.
Singh was born in a small village of undivided India, which is now in Pakistan.
He saw his parents and siblings killed by a mob during the Partition of British India, which left up to one million people dead and led to the creation of two new countries - India and Pakistan.
During the riots, Singh escaped to the jungle and then managed to find a train that brought him to New Delhi, where he later joined the army.
Singh's exploits on the track made him a national hero.
In 2013, his life was turned into a popular Bollywood film, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (Run Milkha Run).
Singh is survived by a son, the professional golfer Jeev Milkha Singh, and three daughters.
Australian Associated Press
