Milkha Singh: Milkha Singh (1935), also known as The Flying Sikh, is a former Indian track and field

sprinter who was introduced to the sport while serving in the Indian Army. As of 2013, he is the only Indian male athlete to win an individual athletics gold medal at a Commonwealth Games. He represented India in the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome and the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. He was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honour, in recognition of his sporting achievements. The race for which Singh is best remembered is his fourth-place finish in the 400 metres final at the 1960 Olympic Games, which he had entered as one of the favourites. He led the race for some time before easing off, allowing others to pass him. Various records were broken in the race, which required a photo-finish and saw American Otis Davis being declared the winner by one-hundredth of a second over German Carl Kaufmann. Singh's fourth-place time of 45.73 became the Indian national record and held for almost 40 years. From beginnings that saw him orphaned and displaced during the Partition of India, Singh has become a sporting icon in his country. In 2008, journalist Rohit Brijnath described Singh as "the finest athlete India has ever produced". In July 2012, The Independent said that "India's most revered Olympian is a gallant loser" and noted the paucity of success 20 medals achieved by Indian competitors in the Olympic Games despite the country having a population in excess of one billion. Family: As of 2012, Singh lives in Chandigarh. He met Nirmal Kaur, a former captain of the Indian women's volleyball team in Ceylon in 1955 and the couple married in 1962. They have three daughters and a son, Jeev Milkha Singh. In 1999, they adopted the seven-year old son of Havildar Bikram Singh, who had died in the Battle of Tiger Hill. Awards and achievements Gold Medal - 1958 Commonwealth Games - 400 m Gold Medal - 1958 Asian Games - 200 m and 400 m Gold Medal - 1962 Asian Games Padma Shri - 1958