From the archives of the Hindustan Times: July 25, 2019
Milkha Singh wins a gold medal for India (1958)
CARDIFF- India won her first gold medal at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games here today (July 24) when Milkha Singh won the 440 yards, setting up a new Games and Commonwealth record. His time was 46.6 sec.
The Indian not only bettered the previous record of 47.1 sec. set by Gosper (Australia) in 1954 but also the South African, Malcolm Spence’s Commonwealth record of 46.8 sec. set up last year at Port Elizabeth.
When the Indian mounted the rostrum to receive his medal, he received one of the biggest cheers of the day from the crowd in the Cardiff Arms Park. Millions of Britons also saw him receiving the medal on TV.
He said afterwards: “ I am very proud of having won the first medal for India.” He hoped to compete in the 1960 Olympic Games at Rome.
It was a very popular victory. Although drawn in the worst lane possible- No.5- Singh ran a well Judged race to beat the favourite, Spence (South Africa) by a few inches.
Everyone here knew that Milkha Singh was the Asian champion but not having had any real competition with world-class quarter milers, few gave him a chance to win the title.
The final was a really thrilling well-fought out duel. At the last bend, it looked as if Spence had the edge over the others. Down the straight, it was either Spence or Tobacco but Singh was coming up very fast and he made it-he breasted the tape a few inches ahead of the South African.
Longowal, PM reach agreement (1985)
New Delhi- A comprehensive accord was reached between Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Akali Dal president Sant Harchand Singh Longowal here today (July 24) on the entire range of issues concerning Punjab, marking a welcome end to the prolonged crisis in the border State that has bedevilled the nation.
The 11-point Memorandum of Settlement signed at 5-30 p.m. in Parliament House provides for transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab, two high-power commissions to decide on the territorial disputes between Punjab and Haryana and tribunal on the Ravi-Beas water systems, reference of the controversial Anandpur Sahib resolution to the Sarkaria Commission widening of the scope of the inquiry into last November’s riots, rehabilitation of those discharged from the Army, and compensation to the families of all the innocent people killed in agitation and riots since August 1982.
Bindra shoots a first for India (2006)
New Delhi- ABHINAV BINDRA is known for inviting tags that were not exactly kind. Some called him a snob, others self-centred. On Monday, the world tagged the marksman a champ.
The 24-year-old from Chandigarh did a first for an Indian when he clinched the 10-metre air-rifle gold at the quadrennial ISSF World Shooting Championships in Zagreb, Croatia. The previous best was the silver-medal performance of legendary trap shooter Maharaja
Karni Singh at the Cairo World Championships in 1962.
Bindra, a 2004 Athens Olympics finalist, scored a superb 597 in the preliminary round and shot a 102.1 in the final round.
With this, Bindra also qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics (joining Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Anjali Bhagwat, Manavjit Singh and Gagan Narang).
“I’m thrilled. I just spoke to my mom in Chandigarh and my entire family is thrilled,” Bindra told HT from Zagreb. “I’ve worked hard and have got the results.” What makes success sweeter is that Bindra has been fighting a back injury that forced him out of some events. He will soon go in for a surgery, and then for the next target: Olympic gold.