Capt. Mohinder Singh Gill- Sikhs The Supreme

An Asian Games and Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist, Capt. Mohinder Singh was a legend in track and field. In 1956 in Commonwealth International Athletics Meet at Bendiga City in Australia, he won a gold medal for the country in triple jump with a distance of 50' -7". In the same year, he also represented the country in Melbourne Olympic Games. In the third Asian Games held at Tokyo in 1958, he again won a gold by establishing new Asian records in triple jump with a distance of 51'- 4" (15.62 m).

In the Sixth Asian Games held at Bangkok in 1970, he broke his own record of 1958 and won his third gold medal with a leap of 16.11 m. (silver in the triple jump was also won by a Sikh Labh Singh, who also won bronze in the long jump during this meet).

In 1972 Olympic Games, just a few days before his actual competition he pulled a muscle and had to stay out of the event. He had his best preparations and tough training for the event but the injury denied him opportunity. In 1974 Commonwealth Games at Christchurch, he had to satisfy himself with a silver as the foul jump of his rival, a Ghanian, was okayed and there was no official from India who could lodge a formal protest. So he was denied gold, otherwise, it would have been his fourth Gold.He also had a very bad day in 1967, when the organizers of the National Athletic Meet in New Delhi decided to cancel the triple jump event as the then national champion, Labh Singh was not well. Mr. Gill was so disappointed that he decided to leave Indiaand went to USA, but kept on playing for India.

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