Makhan Singh (1 July 1937 – 21 January 2002) was an Indian

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

athlete during the 1960s. He was born in Bathulla village in the

Hoshiarpur district Hoshiarpur district is a district of Punjab, India, Punjab state in northern India. Hoshiarpur, one of the oldest districts of Punjab, is located in the North-east part of the Punjab state and shares common boundaries with Gurdaspur district in ...

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 ...

. His primary claim to fame came was his victory over

Milkha Singh Milkha Singh (20 November 1929 18 June 2021), also known as "The Flying Sikh", was an Indian track and field sprinter who was introduced to the sport while serving in the Indian Army. He is the only athlete to win gold at 400 metres at the A ...

in the 1964

National Games of India The National Games of India (ISO: ) consist of various disciplines in which athletes from the different states of India participate against each other. The country's first few Olympic Games, now renamed as National Games, were held in Lahore ( ...

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

. He won a number of gold medals in National Games, and represented India in the

1962 Asian Games The 1962 Asian Games () also known as the 4th Asian Games, IV Asiad, and Jakarta 1962, were the fourth edition of pan-Asian multi-sport event sanctioned by the Asian Games Federation (AGF). The games were held from 24 August to 4 September 1962, ...

and the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subseq ...

Career

His first taste of success was a bronze in the National Games held in Cuttack in 1959. He then hit the high spots with the National Games in Delhi the following year when he won a gold in the short sprint and a silver in the 300 metres. He was to continue with this success in subsequent National Games, winning a gold and a silver at Madras in 1960, four golds at Jabalpur in 1962 and two golds and one silver at Trivandrurn in 1963. His greatest triumph was the 1964 National Games in Calcutta where he beat Milkha Singh by 47.5 seconds to 47.9 seconds in the 400 metres. He picked up four gold medals in that nationals. He represented India in the

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

where he won a relay gold in 4 x 400 metres and a silver in the 400 metres. For Makhan Singh, the artillery gunner, the National Games had special significance. He took part in all the Games from 1959 to 1964 and won a total of 12 golds, three silvers and one bronze, the last one in Calcutta where he signed off being his most outing. He was a Subedar in the Indian Army and retired in 1972. After retirement from the army he started a stationery shop in his village. He was diabetic and in 1990 his foot was injured by a piece of glass so doctors suggested cutting off his leg. He died in penury in 2002.Winner takes all
/ref> He also won the

Arjuna Award The Arjuna Award, officially known as Arjuna Awards given for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games, is the second-highest sporting honour of India, the highest being the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The award is named after Arjun ...

in 1964 for his achievements.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Makhan 1937 births 2002 deaths Indian male sprinters Recipients of the Arjuna Award Sportspeople from Hoshiarpur Asian Games gold medalists for India Asian Games athletes for India Asian Games silver medalists for India Athletes (track and field) at the 1962 Asian Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1964 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1962 Asian Games Olympic athletes for India Asian Games gold medalists in athletics (track and field) Asian Games silver medalists in athletics (track and field)