Milkha Singh, also known as The Flying Sikh, made history as one of India’s most iconic athletes in the 1960 Rome Olympics. His performance in the 400m race became a defining moment in his career and in the history of Indian athletics.
Performance: Milkha Singh finished fourth in the final of the 400m race, just missing out on a medal.
Timing: He ran the race in 45.73 seconds, which was a remarkable time for the era. His performance was exceptional, but unfortunately, he finished just out of the medal bracket, narrowly missing out on a bronze medal.
Historical Context: Milkha Singh’s performance in Rome was a monumental achievement for Indian athletics. At the time, India had never won a medal in the 400m event at the Olympics, and Singh’s fourth-place finish was seen as a great achievement.
Cultural Impact: His near-medal finish had a significant emotional impact on both him and the Indian public. Milkha himself was devastated by finishing fourth and being so close to a podium finish. The famous story of how he burst into tears after the race reflects his deep emotional connection to his performance and his nation’s hopes.
Legacy: Although Milkha Singh did not win a medal at the 1960 Olympics, his fourth-place finish remains one of the finest achievements in Indian athletics at the Olympic Games. His legacy as one of the country’s most beloved sports icons continues to inspire athletes today.
P.T. Usha, often hailed as the Queen of Indian Track and Field, is one of India’s most accomplished sprinters and hurdlers. At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, she came extremely close to winning a medal in the 400m hurdles, an event in which she had already established herself as one of the world’s top athletes.
Performance: P.T. Usha finished fourth in the 400m hurdles final, missing out on a bronze medal by just one-hundredth of a second.
Timing: She clocked 55.42 seconds, which was a personal best and a national record for India. Usha was ahead of the American athlete who eventually took bronze, but the photo finish decided the medal placements.
Near-Miss for a Medal: Usha’s performance in Los Angeles remains one of the most heartbreaking yet inspiring moments in Indian Olympic history. Finishing fourth in an event as prestigious as the 400m hurdles was a near-miss for a medal, and she became the first Indian woman to come so close to an Olympic medal in track and field.
Impact on Indian Athletics: P.T. Usha’s fourth-place finish at the 1984 Olympics is still remembered as one of the most emotional moments in Indian sports history. Her determination and resilience, coming so close to winning India’s first Olympic medal in track and field, earned her widespread recognition as one of the world’s finest sprinters and hurdlers.
Continued Legacy: While she did not win an Olympic medal, Usha’s performance at the 1984 Olympics is considered a pivotal moment for Indian athletics, inspiring countless female athletes and sprinters to take up the sport and aim for excellence. P.T. Usha’s career remained successful with multiple medals in Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, but her 1984 Olympic performance remains one of the greatest achievements in Indian Olympic history.
Milkha Singh (1960 Rome Olympics) and P.T. Usha (1984 Los Angeles Olympics) are two of India’s greatest athletes who both finished fourth in their respective events at the Olympics.
Milkha Singh finished fourth in the 400m in 1960, marking an historic performance that established him as one of India’s top track and field athletes.
P.T. Usha, in 1984, came heartbreakingly close to winning an Olympic medal in the 400m hurdles, missing out on bronze by a fraction of a second.
Both performances were near-misses, and despite their failures to secure an Olympic medal, both athletes have left an indelible mark on Indian sports. Their fourth-place finishes have been seen as a symbol of India’s potential in Olympic athletics, and they continue to inspire generations of athletes to strive for greatness.
Inspiration: Both Milkha Singh and P.T. Usha continue to inspire Indian athletes, particularly those in track and field events. Their close finishes in the Olympics highlighted the incredible talent of Indian athletes on the global stage and showed that India could compete with the best in the world.
Trailblazers: Milkha Singh was one of the first athletes to bring global attention to Indian athletics in the 1960s, and P.T. Usha followed in his footsteps, becoming an icon of women’s athletics in India, particularly after her performances in the 1984 Olympics and the Asian Games.
The fourth-place finishes of Milkha Singh in the 1960 Rome Olympics and P.T. Usha in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics remain legendary moments in Indian sports history. Though both athletes missed out on Olympic medals, their performances elevated Indian athletics on the world stage, and they continue to be celebrated as two of the country’s greatest sports icons. Their stories are ones of perseverance, grit, and the pursuit of excellence, inspiring future generations of athletes to dream big and aim for the stars.
