Legendary Indian sprinter Milkha Singh 'stable and improving'

CHANDIGARH: Legendary Indian sprinter Milkha Singh is "stable and improving" under the constant supervision of a medical team at the PGIMER here after having recovered from COVID-19, which he contracted last month.

"He is stable and improving. He is constantly being monitored by a medical team," PGIMER officials told PTI on Thursday.

The 91-year-old was on Wednesday shifted out of COVID ICU to another section of the PGIMER hospital, a statement from his family had said describing his condition as "stable".

Another statement issued by the family on Thursday said, "Milkha ji continues to battle and we remain hopeful".

Milkha's wife Nirmal Kaur (85), who had also contracted the virus days after her husband tested positive, passed away at a private hospital in Mohali on Sunday due to COVID-related complications.

Kaur was a former national women's volleyball team captain.

Milkha 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.

The legendary athlete is a four-time Asian Games gold medallist and 1958 Commonwealth Games champion but his greatest performance remains the fourth-place finish in the 400m final of the 1960 Rome Olympics.

He also represented India in the 1956 and 1964 Olympics and was bestowed the Padma Shri in 1959.