Makhan Singh was one of the illustrious India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n athlete

Athletics (track and field)

Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...

s during the 1960s. He was born in Bathulla village in the Hoshiarpur district

Hoshiarpur District

Hoshiarpur District , is a district of Punjab state in northern India.In 2011, Hoshiarpur had population of 1,582,793 of which male and female were 806,921 and 775,872 respectively. There was change of 6.85 percent in the population compared to population as per 2001...

 of Punjab

Punjab (British India)

Punjab was a province of British India, it was one of the last areas of the Indian subcontinent to fall under British rule. With the end of British rule in 1947 the province was split between West Punjab, which went to Pakistan, and East Punjab, which went to India...

. He claimed to fame as a result of his famous victories over Milkha Singh

Milkha Singh

Milkha Singh is an Indian athlete, who represented India in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome and the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo...

 in the 1964 National Games in Kolkata

Kolkata

Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...

. He won a number of gold medals in National Games, and represented India in the 1962 Asian Games

1962 Asian Games

The 4th Asian Games were held from August 24, 1962 to September 4, 1962 in Jakarta, Indonesia. Most notable is the exclusion of Israel and the Republic of China from the Games....

.

Career

His first taste of success was a bronze in the National Games in Cuttack in 1959. 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. He was to continue with this success in subsequent National Games, winning a gold and a silver at Madras in 1960, 4 Gold at Jabalpur in 1962 and 2 Cold and one Silver at Trivandrurn in 1963. But his greatest triumph was the 1964 National Games in Calcutta where, apart from scoring a sensational win over Milkha, he picked up four Gold Medals for an impressive personal tally. He represented India in the 1962 Asian Games

1962 Asian Games

The 4th Asian Games were held from August 24, 1962 to September 4, 1962 in Jakarta, Indonesia. Most notable is the exclusion of Israel and the Republic of China from the Games....

 in Jakarta

Jakarta

Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...

where he won a relay gold in 4 x 400 metres and a Silver in the 400 metres.

For Makhan Singh, the artillery gunner, the National Games had Special significance. He took part in all the Games from 1959 to 1964 and won a total of 12 gold, three silver and one bronze, the last one in Calcutta where he signed off being his most outing.

He was a Subedar in the Indian Army and retired in 1972. He later met with an accident, losing a leg. He died in penury in 2002.