Milkha Singh

“Gold slipped from my hand at the Rome Olympics and then from P.T. Usha at the Los Angeles Olympics. But it is my dream to see a boy or girl from India winning gold in the Olympics before my death.”

“My experience made me so hard that I wasn't even scared of death.”

“The people of this country remember me. I may have started dyeing my beard, but I am recognized at airports, railway stations - anywhere. School textbooks have chapters on me, and somehow the sobriquet 'The Flying Sikh' has endured in people's memory.”

“I have no angst that I have not got the Bharat Ratna, it does not matter to me.”

“I have been on the deathbed so many times and had to be given oxygen while training. I did not know if I would survive, but the roar of applause would lift me up.”

“When I used to go to Bombay to run, I would often meet Raj Kapoor and he would take me to RK Studio.”

“Athletics is the mother of all sport and every child must try out it once during his school days.”

“Politicians or well connected people will try to get hold of federations and they don't think about sportspersons.”

“It's painful to see that after Independence, India hasn't won a single Olympic medal in athletics.”

“There is dirty politics in sports federations.”

“If I contest elections in a federation, I will not get even four votes. It's all politics and money.”

“I didn't watch a film after the 1960s. I have no idea who all were the good heroes, directors or producers in the '80s. The only film I watched after all those years was my own film.”

“It's what I tell everyone - exercise is as important as food.”

“I do not blame the government for not providing infrastructure to athletes. They have given everything for training of athletes.”

“In my determination to avoid failure, I set myself a goal to work towards, that is, to transform myself into a running machine.”

“I tried to join the army two or three times.”

“I want people to be passionate about their fitness. Everyone must take ten minutes of physical exercise daily at home or outside.”

“Cricket has driven down the standard of every other sport.”

“As long as you remain true to yourself and continue training with sincerity, nobody can stop you from achieving excellence.”

“Athletics needs more focus because it is the heart and soul of any Olympics.”