Milkha Singh and Kiren Rijiju Picture Credit: Twitter
Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju condoled the death of Milkha Singh, saying the legendary sprinter will continue to inspire every Indian for years to come. Rijiju said after Milkha's death that the country has lost a star. "India has lost its star. Milkha Singh Ji has left us but he will continue to inspire every Indian to shine for India. My deepest condolences to the family. "I pray for his soul to rest in peace,"Rijiju tweeted.
India's great sprinter Milkha Singh, popularly known as "Flying Sikh, said goodbye to the world late on Friday. Milkha put Indian athletics on the world map by winning the gold in the then 440 yards race of the 1958 British and Commonwealth Games. However, a dream of Milkha Singh remained unfulfilled. Milkha Singh, who has participated in many international races, had missed out on the medal of Rome Olympics, which he regretted for the rest of his life. His last wish was that he could see the Rome Olympic medal in the hands of an Indian player, but his dream remained incomplete. Now Kiren Rijiju has sworn to fulfill this dream.
Watch Milkha Singh opening up on his unfulfilled dream:
In the video shared by Kiren Rijiju, Milkha Singh says, "Kiran ji, I want to say that this is my last wish, there should be such a young boy or girl from our country, who can play for the country in Rome Olympics. I won the Athletic Gold and waved the tricolour flag.
Kiren Rijiju shared an old video of Milkha Singh from his official Twitter handle and wrote, "I promise you Milkha Singh ji that we will fulfil your last wish. India has lost its star. But he will continue to inspire every Indian to shine for India. My deepest condolences to the family. I pray for his soul to rest in peace."