Milkha Singh Defeats COVID-19, Still Being Observed at PGIMER

Having recovered in a month after testing positive on 19 May, he will now be observed for post-COVID symptoms.

Sprint ace Milkha Singh had tested positive for coronavirus on 19 May. 

Image: IANS

Legendary sprinter Milkha Singh, 91, has beaten COVID-19, almost a month after he tested positive for the virus on 19 May. He has been shifted from the COVID ICU to another section of the PGIMER hospital and will be observed for post-COVID symptoms, according to the Hindustan Times.

“Milkha Singh tested negative for COVID-19 on Wednesday and has been shifted out of the COVID hospital to the Advanced Cardiac Centre of PGIMER. His medical condition is stable and he is recovering,” said Dr Ashok Kumar, official spokesperson, PGIMER.

Milkha's wife Nirmal Kaur, 85, had also tested positive days after her husband contracted the virus. She passed away at a private hospital in Mohali on Sunday due to COVID-related complications. The couple were suspected to have caught the infection from a house help.

Milkha Singh was admitted to PGIMER on June 3 after his oxygen levels dipped at home following treatment at the Fortis hospital in Mohali for a week.

Carrying the famous moniker of ‘Flying Sikh’, Milkha is a four-time Asian Games Gold medallist and 1958 Commonwealth Games champion, however, his finest hour was the fourth-place finish in the 400m final at the 1960 Rome Olympics.

His lightning-quick timing at the Italian capital held the national record for 38 years. Milkha also represented India in the 1956 and 1964 Olympics and was bestowed the prestigious Padma Shri award in 1959.