the Sports Journalists’ Federation of India (SJFI) posthumously honored the iconic athlete Milkha Singh with a gold medal in a distinguished ceremony held at the Chandigarh Press Club. Yuvraj Singh's father and former India cricketer Yograj Singh served as the chief guest and presented the 2022 Gold Medal, along with a citation and stole, to Jeev Milkha Singh, Milkha Singh's son who is an acclaimed golfer.
Initiated in 2018, the SJFI Gold Medal has been previously awarded to sports luminaries including tennis star Vijay Amritraj, badminton legend Prakash Padukone, and cricket great Sunil Gavaskar.
Milkha Singh, globally celebrated as the 'Flying Sikh,' earned four gold medals across the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo and the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta. He made history as the first Indian athlete to secure a fourth-place finish in the men’s 400m event at the 1960 Rome Olympics. He was selected for this honor in the posthumous award category.
Addressing the gathering, Yograj Singh, the father of former India star Yuvraj Singh, said, “Milkha was a great sportsperson and also a good friend of mine. During those days when I was dropped from the Indian squad and was very upset, he gave me great support. Milkha deserves Bharat Ratna.”
It's worth mentioning that Yograj Singh portrayed the character of Milkha Singh's coach in the biographical film 'Bhag Milkha Bhag.'
At the ceremony, Jeev, visibly moved, confessed, "Yes, today I felt very emotional. The manner in which the SJFI has paid tribute to my father is beyond words," expressed Jeev enthusiastically.
Jeev, the first Indian golfer to break into the top 100 of the official World Golf Ranking, said, “He treated everyone equally and always stood behind those who were dedicated, disciplined and hard working.”
Jeev added: “During the time of COVID, I lost both my parents and I was so disheartened that I had decided to quit golf. Later I changed my mind. I will continue to play the game and try my best to win for them.”
Prashant Keni, the Secretary of SJFI, and Partha Chakraborty, the Treasurer, attended the event, which was impeccably organized by the Punjab-Haryana-Chandigarh Sports Journalists' Association.
The SJFI has scheduled another event for Sunday in New Delhi, where P.T. Usha, the Queen of Indian Track, will be awarded the Gold Medal.
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