Did Milkha Singh 'look back' during photo-finish 400m race at 1960 Rome Olympics? WATCH

As India mourns the loss of her first-ever global sportshero, the clock turns itself back in time to 1960, when a lean 31-year-old Milkha gave his country, still getting back onto its feet after a long-fought battle for independence, hope to shine and glitter at the global stage. Milkha Singh, 91, breathed his last on Friday night in Chandigarh after battling COVID-19 and its effects for over a month. Singh's 8 medals, 77 victories, and numerous records not only put independent India on the global map, but made sure that the Tricolour flew high with pride. 

Of Milkha's 4 Gold medals at the Asian Games and his world record, the most memorable memory of the 'Flying Sikh' remains his photo-finish at the 1960 Rome Olympics. A race that Milkha, in his own words, had described as his 'worst memory'. Shortly before the Rome Olympics that year, the Indian sprinter had sent ripples of fear across his contemporaries as he set an unofficial 'world record' time of 45.8 seconds in France and went on to beat all his competitors before facing them at the biggest stage in Rome. 

The 1960 Rome Olympics

Entering as a favourite to win the 400m race at the Rome Olympics, Milkha Singh made a strong story as millions of Indians hooked onto their radios and some glued to their prized TV sets watched the 'Flying Sikh' latched with hopes of an Olympic gold which would not be fulfilled till 2010 London Olympics. At the clap in Rome, Singh got off to a booster start racing in the second outer ring. The Indian's swift sprint kept him amongst the top three frontrunners until a sudden slack which saw him fall back. 

Whispers from corners of the world and those present in Rome believe that in a moment at the 250m mark, Milkha Singh looked back to see where his competitors were, which led to his slowdown. Others believe that Singh's boots forced an error leading to Otis Davis' swift takeover. Ultimately, Singh missed a podium finish just by a whisker and the Olympic medal slipped out of his grasp.

"The one medal I had yearned for throughout my career had just slipped through my fingers because of one small error of judgment," Milkha Singh wrote in his 160-page autobiography. 

Otis Davis, Carl Kaufmann and Malcolm Spence passed Milkha Singh and a close finish ensued. Davis and Kaufman were both timed at a world-record breaking 44.9 seconds, while Spence and Singh went under the pre-Games Olympic record of 45.9 seconds, set in 1952 by George Rhoden and Herb McKenley, with times of 45.5 and 45.6 seconds, respectively. 

Watch Milkha Singh's race at the 1960 Rome Olympics here - 

Milkha Singh passes away

Indian sprint legend Milkha Singh died on Friday after a month-long battle with COVID-19, during which he lost his former national volleyball captain wife Nirmal Kaur to the same ailment. The Padma Shri awardee was 91 and is survived by his golfer son Jeev Milkha Singh and three daughters.

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. He had contracted COVID-19 last month and tested negative for the virus on Wednesday when he was shifted to general ICU in another block of the hospital.