Milkha Singh,
Sprinter, Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist
There was little fanfare about sports in 1960. Equipment was difficult to come by—no running shoes were manufactured in India, and nobody knew what a tracksuit was. But there was a lot of patriotism. When I became the first Indian to win a gold at the 1958 Commonwealth Games, Nehru sent a message asking if there was anything I wanted...I requested a national holiday!
Lookin' back: Milkha Singh misses the 400m bronze by a hair's breadth