Olympic Series

Olympics – 1960 Rome

(Milkha Singh Runs His Dream Race:But Fails To Win A Medal)

Sixty four years after the first Games in Athens – fifty four years after Italy had had to give away the 1908 Olympics after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius – Rome provided a stunning Olympic backdrop that had been handed down from antiquity. Despite its classical roots, however, the Olympic festival of sport was constantly evolving. Qualifying standards had climbed so rapidly in certain sports that some 1956 champions had been unable to satisfy them to defend their titles.

A record eighty – three nations attended the Games, their numbers boosted by representatives from many African countries that had gained independence in the four years since Melbourne Games. Clement ‘Ike’ Quartey, representing one of those new nations, Ghana, created Olympic history by taking Silver in the light – welterweight boxing tournament, the first black African Olympic medalist. Five days later his achievement was eclipsed by Ethiopia’s Abebe Bikila, the bare- footed winner of the marathon.

As the Cold War cooled the international climate, suffocating heat stifled Rome. This did not prevent modernity and tradition uniting for the fortnight of the Games. The day before the Opening Ceremony, Pope John XX111 blessed the Games in Saint Peter’s Square. Later he enjoyed the canoeing semi – finals from the window of his summer residence.

Wilma Rudolph – A Picture of Elegance

The young and beautiful American skipped through the sprint events to three Gold medals. Wilma Rudolph’s appearance at the Games could be described as a moment of illumination in a life of misfortune. She had lived her dream in the Roman summer, and with her velvety stride, exquisite bearing and seraphic calm, even at full tilt, nothing so beautiful was ever seen on an athletics track. It was almost beyond belief that such beauty – shared for the first time by millions of television viewers, like in the first day of cinema – should mask such a cruel destiny.

Rudolph was one of twenty – two children living in the heart of a Tennessee ghetto. Born premature, Rudolph, the twentieth of the brood, was a little girl of fragile health, weighing less than four pounds at birth. Polio, double pneumonia, scarlet fever: early childhood spared her little. She lost the use of her left leg at the age of four and spent two years bed – ridden. She learnt to walk normally aged seven. Endless massages and the love of her family worked wonders for her. She was called ‘Skeeter’, meaning mosquito by her friends, more because of her youth than her small size. Wilma was a picture of grace and strength, as she took the top of the podium in the 100,200 and 4x100 meters, despite spraining an ankle the day before the 100 meter final. Wilma managed all this with her left foot in a bandage – but which did nothing to lessen the beauty of her stride.

Milkha Singh an Outstanding Indian Athlete

Born on 08 Oct 1935 in Lyallpur, Milkha saw his parents and relatives massacred in the communal madness, which besieged people in the riots during the partition of India. He survived and was supported by his elder brother Malkhan, who helped him to get enrolled into the Army, in the Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (EME) in his third attempt. His athletic career commenced from here and under the care and watchful eye of his mentor Havildar Gurdev Singh, he blossomed into a star. Often, Milkha trained so hard that he vomited blood, but came back undeterred to train harder, still. His Olympic career commenced from 1956 in Melbourne and he was a strong contender for Gold in the 400 meters, in the 1960 Rome Olympics. Milkha, ran the race of his life in the finals of the event, but sadly finished fourth. The race was so keenly contested that the winners were decided on a photo finish and the first four broke the Olympic record. In the finals of the 400 meters, Milkha running in the fifth lane took off like an arrow and was leading till about 250 meters, when he misjudged his speed and held back, only to see others go past him and despite his best effort to then catch up, was unable to do so. Ottis Davis (USA) and Carl Kaufmann (Germany), both finished with a timing of 44.9 secs, Malcolm C Spence (South Africa) came in third with a timing of 45.5 secs and Milkha clocked 45.6 secs, missing the Bronze medal by the proverbial whisker of .1 sec. It was quite a while before the results were declared and Milkha missed on the opportunity of going down in history as an Olympic medalist in athletics. Milkha later participated in a duel meet with Pakistan in 1962, when he beat the Asian Games 100 meters champion Abdul Khaliq, and was christened The Flying Sikh by none other than President Ayub Khan, who maintained that he does not run but instead flies on the track.

A Phenomenal Decathlon

The first and doubtlessly one of the most beautiful images of the Games was that of Rafer Johnson, a black, carrying the American flag during the Opening Ceremony. His event, the decathlon was most keenly contested between him and his rival and fellow student at the University of California in Los Angeles, Yang Chuan – Kwang of Taiwan (Formosa).It was a neck and neck competition, in which after a dramatic 1500 meters, Rafer snatched the Gold from Yang.On the finish line, the two men fell into each others arms. It definitely was the most beautiful moment of the evening.

Abebe Bikila’s Amazing Adventure

Abebe Bikila, a full - blooded Amhara and a soldier in Ethiopia’s Imperial Bodyguard, 5 feet 9 inches and weighing 125 pounds, with curly hair, dark brown skin, regular features, a prominent and straight nose and pronounced lips: won the marathon running barefooted. Bikila had run huge distances to achieve his success. He trained twice a day, very early in the morning and at the end of the afternoon .His resting pulse was 45 beats per minute. His coach Onni Niskanen, born in Helsinki of Swedish parents was ecstatic about the presence of talent in the youth in Ethiopia and was hopeful about their giving winning performances in the Tokyo Olympics.

Cassius Marcellus Clay Arrives               

 Three Americans won Gold medals in the boxing finals on 05 Sept 1960, but it was the 18 year old Cassius Marcellus Clay in the Light – Heavyweight category, who stole the limelight when they returned to the United States. Clay, born in Louisville, Kentucky was the centre of attention from the moment he arrived in the Olympic Village. Six times winner of the Golden Gloves in Kentucky, twice the National Golden Gloves and twice US Champion, Clay easily qualified for the Games. Clay surprised other boxers in the changing rooms with his pre – bout dancing. The surprise continued in the ring, as he won his bouts with ease and a fine display of his art.

The Games In Brief

Opening Date                                        25 August 1960

Closing Date                                         11 September 1960

Host Nation                                           Italy

Nations Represented                             84

Athletes                                                 5,348(610 women,4,738 men)

Sports                                                     17

Events                                                   150

Games Officially Opened By               Giovanni Gronchi, President of Italy

Olympic Flame Lit By                         Giancarlo Peris (Athlete)

Olympic Oath Taken By                     Adolfo Consolini (Athlete)

IOC President                                     Avery Brundage

Because of apartheid, Rome would be the last Games in which South Africa would participate until 1992.Over 100 television channels broadcast both live and recorded footage of the Games to 18 countries across Europe as well as the United States, Japan and Canada.

PS -: Matter researched from the archives of the Olympic Games museum in Laussane.

Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal

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