When Milkha Singh visited Bengaluru's Kanteerava Stadium

Before he was the 'Flying Sikh', he was Milkha Singh - a young man damaged by Partition, a hard life, and an eventual career in the Army.

It was there that he found his footing, both literally and figuratively, and forged his path by running. But it was Bengaluru where he held some of his fondest memories and his harshest training.

Singh wrote in his autobiography that he trained so intensely that he would vomit blood and would fall unconscious on many occasions.

In an interaction with The Times of India, Singh spoke of his rigorous training at the then-Sampangi Stadium's cinder tracks in 1952. “I have always had a weakness for Bangalore for a very long time,” he told the publication. The very first national camp I attended in 1952 was at Sree Kanteerava Stadium. It lasted three weeks. It was the first stepping stone to my pursuit of Olympic glory”.

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When off-training, Singh would stroll through Cubbon Park and MG Road, seeking out coffee shops for the perfect cuppa.

Milkha, who trained under Baldev Singh and a couple of local coaches for those weeks, said it was in Bengaluru that he became aware of international events. “I was a soldier and didn’t know much about prestigious competitions. It was at this camp that I learnt more about the Olympics and the Asian Games. Through my interaction with the coaches, I learnt the basics of 100m, 200m and 400m races,” Milkha said.

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But that old stadium, and its cinder tracks, were no more. “I had tears in my eyes,” said Milkha, who failed to spot his favourite haunts. “But I just had to revisit the stadium where I would frequently vomit blood after tough training sessions,” he told the publication. “I couldn’t recognise it as the cinder track is not there anymore. A lot of the kids and para-athletes who were training there stopped and ran towards me. It was a great interaction that made up for everything,” Milkha said.

“I have cried just thrice in my life thus far – when my parents were killed in front of my eyes before Independence, when I dropped my medal by poor strategy at the Rome Olympics, and lastly when ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ was being filmed,” he told The Hindu.

“I know how much sweat and toil I put into my practice for 12 years, six hours each day. I’m nearing 85 now and have a failing vision, but even to this day I jog thrice a week and ensure I keep myself fit. That’s the message I’d like to deliver to young and old,” he said.