Legendary Indian sprinter Milkha Singh, who many consider the greatest track-and-field athlete the country produced, died of post-COVID complications at 11.30pm on June 18.
His condition had turned critical on Friday evening as he developed complications, including fever and dropping of oxygen saturation level, after a bout with COVID-19, in the Intensive Care Unit of the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh.
The 91-year-old, who contracted COVID-19 last month, tested negative for the virus on Wednesday and shifted to general ICU in another block of the hospital. He was being closely monitored by a team of doctors.
Earlier, Singh, popularly known as 'Flying Sikh', had suddenly developed fever on Thursday night and his oxygen saturation levels dipped.
His 85-year-old wife Nirmal Kaur, who had also been infected by the virus, passed away at a private hospital in Mohali on Sunday. Kaur was a former national women's volleyball team captain.
Singh was admitted to PGIMER on June 3 after his oxygen levels dipped at home following treatment at the Fortis hospital in Mohali for a week.
For much of the 1950s and 1960s, Singh was the most popular athlete in India. He was a four-time Asian Games gold medallist and 1958 Commonwealth Games champion, but his greatest performance was the fourth-place finish in the 400m final at the 1960 Rome Olympics. His timing at the Italian capital remained the national record for 38 years till Paramjeet Singh broke it in 1998.
He also represented India in the 1956 and 1964 Olympics and was bestowed the Padma Shri in 1959.
His son, Jeev Milkha Singh, is an accomplished golf player.
Singh's achievements were the subject of 2013 Bollywood film, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, starring Farhan Akhtar.
(With PTI inputs)
