Chandigarh: Indian sprint legend Milkha Singh passed away on Friday, June 18, after a month-long battle with COVID-19. Singh’s wife, the former national volleyball captain Nirmal Kaur, passed away five days ago after having tested positive for COVID-19.The Padma Shri awardee was 91 and is survived by his golfer son Jeev Milkha Singh and three daughters, Dr Mona Singh, Aleeza Grover, Sonia Sanwalka.A spokesperson from his family announced that he had passed away at 11.30 pm.“His condition turned critical this evening as he developed complications, including fever and dipping oxygen saturation levels, after a bout with COVID-19, in the Intensive Care Unit of the PGIMER hospital here,” his family said.He had tested positive for COVID-19 last month and tested negative on Wednesday when he was shifted to general ICU in another block of the hospital. Singh had reportedly been stable until Thursday evening.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.The legendary athlete is a four-time Asian Games gold medallist and the 1958 Commonwealth Games champion but his greatest performance remains the fourth-place finish in the 400m final of the 1960 Rome Olympics.Indian Express reports that Singh is the first Indian athlete to win gold in the then British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff in 1958. This is a record he held for more than 50 years until Krishna Poonia won gold in discus throw in the 2010 CWG at Delhi.He also represented India in the 1956 and 1964 Olympics and was bestowed the Padma Shri in 1959.(With PTI inputs)
