Subedar Subedar ( ) is a military rank in the militaries of South Asia roughly equivalent to that of a warrant officer. Historically classed in the British Indian Army as a Viceroy's commissioned officer, the rank was retained in the Indian Army an ...

Abdul Khaliq (

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabis, Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a ...

, ; 23 March 1933 – 10 March 1988), also known by his nickname ''Parinda-e-Asia'' پرندہ ایشیاء ''(

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

for The Flying Bird of Asia)'',Somak Adhikari
Remembering Abdul Khaliq, The Flying Bird Of Asia And Milkha Singh's Arch-Rival On The Track
29 October 2019. India Times. was a Pakistani sprinter. He won 36 international gold medals, 15 international silver medals, and 12 international bronze medals while representing Pakistan, including as a military officer for the 8th Medium Artillery Regiment at military games. He competed in the

100m The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...

200m The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400-metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slight ...

, and 4 x 100 meters relay, representing Pakistan in the

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XVI Olympiad and officially branded as Melbourne 1956, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December ...

and

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad () and commonly known as Rome 1960 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 25 August to 11 September 1960 in Rome, Italy. Rome had previously been awar ...

as well as the

1954 Asian Games The 1954 Asian Games (), officially known as the Second Asian Games – Manila 1954, were a multi-sport event held in Manila, Philippines, from May 1 to 9, 1954. A total of 970 athletes from 19 Asian National Olympic Committees (NOCs) competed in ...

and the

1958 Asian Games The 1958 Asian Games, officially the Third Asian Games () and commonly known as Tokyo 1958 (), were a multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan, from 24 May to 1 June 1958. It was governed by the Asian Games Federation. A total of 1,820 athletes repr ...

Early life

Khaliq was born on March 23, 1933, in Jand, in the

Chakwal district Chakwal District () is a district located on the Pothohar Plateau in Punjab, Pakistan. It is located in the northwestern area of the Punjab province, bordered by Talagang to its west, Rawalpindi to its northeast, Jhelum to its east. The distr ...

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

province,

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

. Initially, he developed a keen interest in

Kabaddi Kabaddi (, ) is a contact team sport played between two teams of seven players. It is one of the traditional games of South Asia. In this game, a raider enters the opposing half of the court to touch defenders and attempt to return within 30 ...

and became an active participant in the contact sport. During one of his Kabaddi matches, his performance caught the attention of Brigadier Rodham, the head of the Pakistan Army Sports Control Board, who subsequently recruited Khaliq to join the Army's Boys Company.

International career

1954

Asian Games

In the

, Abdul Khaliq set a new Asian Games record of 100 meters in 10.6 seconds by beating the previous record of 10.8 seconds, held by Lavy Pinto of India in 1951, and was dubbed the Fastest Man of Asia. Abdul Khaliq won gold and silver medals in 100-meter and relay races, respectively, in the 1954 Asian Games. The Indian Prime Minister at the time,

Jawaharlal Nehru Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a pr ...

, who was reportedly captivated by his performance during the event and chief guest, dubbed him "The Flying Bird of Asia".

Commonwealth and British Empire Games

Abdul Khaliq was a 100-yard semi-finalist and a 4x110-yard finalist in the 1954 Commonwealth and British Games.

1955

In 1955, Abdul Khaliq took part in the

World Military Games The Military World Games is a multi-sport event for military sportspeople, organized by the International Military Sports Council (CISM). They have been held since 1995, although championships for separate sports had been held for some years. A ...

held in

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

, Greece.

1956

Indo-Pak Meet at Delhi

At the first Indo-Pak Athletics meet in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

in 1956, Abdul Khaliq set new Asian records in both the 100 and 200-meter events. Abdul Khaliq won the 100-meter dash by defeating Indian athlete V.K. Rai, winning the gold medal with a time of 10.4 seconds. He also won the 200-meter race by defeating Lavy Pinto of India and set a new record by clocking in 21.4 seconds.

World Military Games at Berlin

At the 1956 World Military Games in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, Abdul Khaliq won three bronze medals. He finished third in the final of the 100 meters with a time of 10.4 seconds, matching his

time. His other two bronze medals came in the 200 m inidividual, and 4x100 meter relays.

Pakistan Athletics Training Program in England

During the Pakistan Athletics Training Program in England, Abdul Khaliq defeated Britain’s top sprinters, Shaton and Spooner, in both the 100-yard and 200-yard sprints. He won the 100-yard sprint in 10.1 seconds at an international meet during the Highland Games on a turf track made wet by heavy morning rain. In this event, he triumphed over athletes from 15 European countries.

Victorian Relay Championship

Abdul Khaliq ran a 100-meter race in 10.4 seconds, equaling the Australian National record at

Olympic Park An Olympic Park is a sports campus for hosting the Olympic Games. Typically it contains the Olympic Stadium and the International Broadcast Centre. It may also contain the Olympic Village or some of the other sports venues, such as the aquatics ...

. Khaliq's time was only one-tenth of a second slower than Bobby Morrow's gold medal-winning time in the Olympic Games 100-meter final. He won the Gold medal in the 100 meters and the 4x100 yards.

Melbourne Olympics

In the

, Abdul Khaliq reached the semi-finals in both the 100-meter and 200-meter races at the Olympics. In the 200-meter semi-finals, he clocked a time of 21.1 seconds, securing 4th place. This performance placed him among the top seven athletes in the competition. On 24 November 1956, the day of the semi-finals and finals of the 100-meter race, Abdul Khaliq showcased remarkable endurance by competing in two challenging events. Earlier that day, he ran as the anchor for Pakistan’s winning team in the 4x110-yard Victorian Relay Championship. Despite the demanding schedule, Khaliq helped his team extend a 10-yard lead and finish in 41.6 seconds—just one-tenth of a second shy of the national record held by the Australian Olympic team. Final Standings in Melbourne Olympics

1957

In 1957, Abdul Khaliq won 11 international gold medals and 1 international silver medal by participating in multiple events held in England, Iran, Greece, and Scotland.

1958

Asian Games

Khaliq participated in the

. He defended his title in the 100-meter race by defeating

Kyohei Ushio , also spelled Kyoshei Ushio, was a Japanese sprinter. He competed in the men's 100 metres, the men's 200 metres, and the men's 4x100 metres relay at the 1956 Summer Olympics. Ushio ran 10.5 seconds in the 100 metres on two occasions, both ...

of Japan. Abdul Khaliq won 3 medals: gold in the 100 meter race, silver in the 200-meter race, and bronze in the relay race. With Khaliq's performance, Pakistan secured 2nd position in Athletics and 6th in the overall rankings.

Commonwealth Games

Abdul Khaliq also won 3 more medals in 1958 by taking part in different events held in Japan, China, and Scotland. He also participated in the

1958 Commonwealth Games The 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games (Welsh: ''Gemau Ymerodraeth Prydain a'r Gymanwlad'' 1958) were held in Cardiff, Wales, from 18 to 26 July 1958. It was the sixth edition of what would come to be known as the Commonwealth Games, the ...

held in

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

and was a semi-finalist in 100 yards, clocking 9.8 seconds.

1959

In 1959, Abdul Khaliq participated in many countries, including the United Kingdom, Sweden and Ireland. He won 9 international gold medals, 7 international silver medal, and 4 international bronze medals through several events.

1960

Olympic Games

Abdul Khaliq took part in the

1960 Olympic Games The 1960 Olympics may refer to: *The 1960 Winter Olympics, which were held in Squaw Valley, United States *The 1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad () and commonly known as Rome 19 ...

held in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

but he did not qualify for the next rounds in both 100 meters and eters relay race events.

International Meet at Lahore

In this event, Khaliq won a gold medal in the 100-meter race with a time of 10.4 seconds, a bronze medal in the 200-meter race, and another gold medal in the 4 x 100-meter relay race, clocking 41.5 seconds. This event was depicted in the Indian movie

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag ''Bhaag Milkha Bhaag'' () is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language biographical sports drama film directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, written by lyricist Prasoon Joshi, and produced by Viacom 18 Motion Pictures in association with Rajiv Tandon and e ...

Coaching career

Following his retirement, Khaliq started his coaching career with Army, where he coached in 1965, 1966, 1967, 1970 and 1971. He coached Punjab in 1974 and 1975, before becoming the national coach from 1974 to 1978.

Personal life and death

Coming from a family of athletes, Khaliq's younger brother Abdul Malik also was an athlete. Khaliq was held as a prisoner of war in India after the 1971 war. In recognition of his athletic achievements, the Indian government offered to release him but Khaliq turned down the offer, refusing any preferential treatment. Khaliq had four sons. The eldest Ghulam Abbas and his younger brother Mohammad Ashfaq also served in the Pakistan Army. Mohammad Ashfaq died when the tractor he was driving overturned near his village. The third son, Mohammad Ejaz was a coach of athletics in

Pakistan Sports Board Pakistan Sports Board () was established under the Ministry of Education in 1962 as a corporate body for the purposes of promoting and developing uniform standards of competition for sports in Pakistan comparable to the standards prevailing inter ...

while the youngest son, Abdul Razzaq, was an instructor of physical education in the village school. Khaliq died on March 10, 1988 in

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...

Legacy

Khaliq is often regarded as one of Pakistan's greatest sportsmen, and known as one of the pioneers of the

Golden Age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during wh ...

of Pakistani athletics in the 1950s and 1960s. In order to orient the younger generation about Khaliq's exploits in the field of athletics, in 2024, a biopic about him is in the works.

Achievements

International Medals (numbers as per events) Presidential Award Khaliq was given the Presidential Award Pride of Performance in 1958 by President Ayub Khan for his achievements.

Medals (international)

Running statistics

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khaliq Abdul 1933 births 1988 deaths Asian Games gold medalists for Pakistan Asian Games silver medalists for Pakistan Asian Games bronze medalists for Pakistan Asian Games athletes for Pakistan Athletes (track and field) at the 1954 Asian Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1956 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1958 Asian Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1960 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1962 Asian Games Commonwealth Games competitors for Pakistan Medalists at the 1954 Asian Games Medalists at the 1958 Asian Games Olympic athletes for Pakistan Pakistan Navy personnel Pakistani male sprinters Pakistani prisoners of war in 1971 People from Chakwal District Recipients of the Pride of Performance award in 1958 20th-century Pakistani sportsmen Asian Games gold medalists in athletics (track and field) Asian Games silver medalists in athletics (track and field)