Touched by Lewis’ gift, says Milkha

Former India athlete Milkha Singh has said that the gift he got from legendary US Olympic champion Carl Lewis is the ultimate acknowledgement for the hard work he put in during his running days. Multiple Olympic gold medallist Lewis was so awestruck by Milkha’s rise as as depicted in his biopic Bhaag Milkha Bhaag that the American sent a baton to the Indian as a gesture of respect. “The great Carl Lewis watched my movie at his home in America along with an Indian friend of his. He does not know Hindi and his Indian friend must have done the translation. After watching the movie, he took my phone number from his friend and called me up one day. “A few days later I got a gift from Lewis, which to my amazement was a baton (used in relay races). On the baton was written ‘I salute your achievements’. “I was touched as I thought I got the ultimate acknowledgement for my hard work from none other than one of the greatest athletes in the history of sports,” Milkha was quoted as saying on Saturday. Recalling the amount of hard work he put in to become a top notch athlete, Milkha said, “I used to train longer than my running partners who refused to run further, saying they don’t want to die. Once I told my coach that I am dying and I cannot run further, he goaded me to continue. That was how I could become a world record breaker.”