Background
He was born in Bathulla village in the Hoshiarpur district of Punjab.
He was born in Bathulla village in the Hoshiarpur district of Punjab.
His primary claim to fame came was his victory over Milkha Singh in the 1962 National Games of India in Calcutta. His first taste of success was a bronze in the National Games in Cuttack in 1959. 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.
Foreign Makhan Singh, the artillery gunner, the National Games had special significance.
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 legal He died in penury in 2002.
He won a number of gold medals in National Games, and represented India in the 1962 Asian Games. 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. His greatest triumph was the 1962 National Games in Calcutta where, apart from scoring a sensational win over Milkha, he picked up four gold medals. He represented India in the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta where he won a relay gold in 4 x 400 metres and a silver in the 400 metres. 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 also won the Arjuna Award for his achievements.
