Abdul Khaliq (athlete)

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For other people with the same name, see Abd al-Khaliq.

Abdul Khaliq
Khaliq in 1987
Personal information
NicknameThe Flying Bird of Asia[1]
Born(1933-03-23)23 March 1933
Jand, Chakwal, Punjab, British India
(present-day Punjab, Pakistan)
Died10 March 1988(1988-03-10) (aged 54)
Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan
Sport
CountryPakistan
SportTrack and field
Event(s)100m, 200m, 4*100m, 100y, 110y, 200y, 220y
Medal record
Men's Athletics
Representing  Pakistan
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Asian Games 2 2 1
Total 2 2 1
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 1954 Manila 100m
Silver medal – second place 1954 Manila 4 x 100 m relay
Gold medal – first place 1958 Tokyo 100m
Silver medal – second place 1958 Tokyo 200m
Bronze medal – third place 1958 Tokyo 4 x 100 m relay
Military career
Allegiance Pakistan
Years of service1948–1978
Battles / warsIndo-Pakistani War of 1965
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
AwardsPride of Performance

Subedar Abdul Khaliq (Punjabi, Urdu: عبد الخالق; 23 March 1933 – 10 March 1988),[2] also known by his nickname Parinda-e-Asia پرندہ ایشیاء (Urdu for The Flying Bird of Asia),[1] was a Pakistani sprinter. He won 36 international gold medals, 15 international silver medals, and 12 international bronze medals while representing Pakistan, including as a military officer for the 8th Medium Artillery Regiment at military games.[3]

He competed in the 100m, 200m, and 4 x 100 meters relay, representing Pakistan in the 1956 Summer Olympics and 1960 Summer Olympics as well as the 1954 Asian Games and the 1958 Asian Games.

Early life

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Khaliq was born on March 23, 1933, in Jand, in the Chakwal district of Punjab province, British India.[4] Initially, he developed a keen interest in Kabaddi and became an active participant in the contact sport. During one of his Kabaddi matches, his performance caught the attention of Brigadier Rodham, the head of the Pakistan Army Sports Control Board, who subsequently recruited Khaliq to join the Army's Boys Company.[2]

International career

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1954

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Asian Games

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In the 1954 Asian Games, Abdul Khaliq set a new Asian Games record of 100 meters in 10.6 seconds by beating the previous record of 10.8 seconds, held by Lavy Pinto of India in 1951, and was dubbed the Fastest Man of Asia.[5][6] Abdul Khaliq won gold and silver medals in 100-meter and 4 × 100 m relay races, respectively, in the 1954 Asian Games.[4] The Indian Prime Minister at the time, Jawaharlal Nehru, who was reportedly captivated by his performance during the event and chief guest, dubbed him "The Flying Bird of Asia".[7]

Commonwealth and British Empire Games

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Abdul Khaliq was a 100-yard semi-finalist and a 4x110-yard finalist in the 1954 Commonwealth and British Games.[3]

1955

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In 1955, Abdul Khaliq took part in the World Military Games held in Athens, Greece.[citation needed]

1956

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Indo-Pak Meet at Delhi

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At the first Indo-Pak Athletics meet in Delhi in 1956, Abdul Khaliq set new Asian records in both the 100 and 200-meter events.

Abdul Khaliq won the 100-meter dash by defeating Indian athlete V.K. Rai, winning the gold medal with a time of 10.4 seconds. He also won the 200-meter race by defeating Lavy Pinto of India and set a new record by clocking in 21.4 seconds.[3]

World Military Games at Berlin

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At the 1956 World Military Games in Berlin, Abdul Khaliq won three bronze medals. He finished third in the final of the 100 meters with a time of 10.4 seconds, matching his Delhi time.[3][8] His other two bronze medals came in the 200 m inidividual, and 4x100 meter relays.

Pakistan Athletics Training Program in England

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During the Pakistan Athletics Training Program in England, Abdul Khaliq defeated Britain’s top sprinters, Shaton and Spooner, in both the 100-yard and 200-yard sprints.[3][8][9] He won the 100-yard sprint in 10.1 seconds at an international meet during the Highland Games on a turf track made wet by heavy morning rain. In this event, he triumphed over athletes from 15 European countries.

Victorian Relay Championship

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Abdul Khaliq ran a 100-meter race in 10.4 seconds, equaling the Australian National record at Olympic Park. Khaliq's time was only one-tenth of a second slower than Bobby Morrow's gold medal-winning time in the Olympic Games 100-meter final. He won the Gold medal in the 100 meters and the 4x100 yards.[10]

Melbourne Olympics

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In the 1956 Summer Olympics, Abdul Khaliq reached the semi-finals in both the 100-meter and 200-meter races at the Olympics. In the 200-meter semi-finals, he clocked a time of 21.1 seconds, securing 4th place. This performance placed him among the top seven athletes in the competition.

On 24 November 1956, the day of the semi-finals and finals of the 100-meter race, Abdul Khaliq showcased remarkable endurance by competing in two challenging events. Earlier that day, he ran as the anchor for Pakistan’s winning team in the 4x110-yard Victorian Relay Championship. Despite the demanding schedule, Khaliq helped his team extend a 10-yard lead and finish in 41.6 seconds—just one-tenth of a second shy of the national record held by the Australian Olympic team.[11][3][8][12][13][14][15][16]

Final Standings in Melbourne Olympics

Rank[12] Athlete Team Medal
1 Bobby Joe Morrow United States Gold
2 Thane Baker United States Silver
3 Hec Hogan Australia Bronze
4 Ira Murchison United States
5 Manfred Germar Germany
6 Mike Agostini Trinidad and Tobago
4 h1 r3/4 Abdul Khaliq Pakistan
4 h2 r3/4 Morrie Rae New Zealand
5 h1 r3/4 Stan Levenson Canada
5 h2 r3/4 Marian Foik Poland

1957

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In 1957, Abdul Khaliq won 11 international gold medals and 1 international silver medal by participating in multiple events held in England, Iran, Greece, and Scotland.[3]

1958

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Asian Games

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Khaliq participated in the 1958 Asian Games. He defended his title in the 100-meter race by defeating Kyohei Ushio of Japan.[3][17] Abdul Khaliq won 3 medals: gold in the 100 meter race, silver in the 200-meter race, and bronze in the 4 × 100 m relay race. With Khaliq's performance, Pakistan secured 2nd position in Athletics and 6th in the overall rankings.

Commonwealth Games

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Abdul Khaliq also won 3 more medals in 1958 by taking part in different events held in Japan, China, and Scotland. He also participated in the 1958 Commonwealth Games held in Cardiff and was a semi-finalist in 100 yards, clocking 9.8 seconds.[3]

1959

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In 1959, Abdul Khaliq participated in many countries, including the United Kingdom, Sweden and Ireland. He won 9 international gold medals, 7 international silver medal, and 4 international bronze medals through several events.[3]

1960

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Olympic Games

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Abdul Khaliq took part in the 1960 Olympic Games held in Rome but he did not qualify for the next rounds in both 100 meters and 4 × 100 meters relay race events.[18][8]

International Meet at Lahore

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In this event, Khaliq won a gold medal in the 100-meter race with a time of 10.4 seconds, a bronze medal in the 200-meter race, and another gold medal in the 4 x 100-meter relay race, clocking 41.5 seconds. This event was depicted in the Indian movie Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.[19]

Coaching career

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Following his retirement, Khaliq started his coaching career with Army, where he coached in 1965, 1966, 1967, 1970 and 1971. He coached Punjab in 1974 and 1975, before becoming the national coach from 1974 to 1978.[citation needed]

Personal life and death

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Coming from a family of athletes, Khaliq's younger brother Abdul Malik also was an athlete. Khaliq was held as a prisoner of war in India after the 1971 war. In recognition of his athletic achievements, the Indian government offered to release him but Khaliq turned down the offer, refusing any preferential treatment.[4]

Khaliq had four sons. The eldest Ghulam Abbas and his younger brother Mohammad Ashfaq also served in the Pakistan Army. Mohammad Ashfaq died when the tractor he was driving overturned near his village.[2] The third son, Mohammad Ejaz was a coach of athletics in Pakistan Sports Board while the youngest son, Abdul Razzaq, was an instructor of physical education in the village school.[2]

Khaliq died on March 10, 1988 in Rawalpindi.[2]

Legacy

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Khaliq is often regarded as one of Pakistan's greatest sportsmen, and known as one of the pioneers of the Golden Age of Pakistani athletics in the 1950s and 1960s.[4][1] In order to orient the younger generation about Khaliq's exploits in the field of athletics, in 2024, a biopic about him is in the works.[20]

Achievements

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International Medals (numbers as per events)

Khaliq's statue in Ayub Park Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Event Gold Silver Bronze
100 y
 09 0 02
120 y
 02 0 0
100 m
 13 08 04
220 y
 02 01 01
200 m
 07 04 04
4*110 y
 01 0 0
4*100 m
 02 02 01
Total
 36 15 12

Presidential Award

Khaliq was given the Presidential Award Pride of Performance in 1958 by President Ayub Khan for his achievements.

Medals (international)

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Sr. No. Year Venue Country Competitions Event Medal Time
Represented  Pakistan
1 1954 Manila Philippines 2nd Asian Games 100m Gold 10.6sec
(New Asian Record)
2 1954 Manila Philippines 2nd Asian Games 4*100m Silver 41.5 sec
3 1954 Madawala England Triangular Meet 100m Gold
4 1956 Delhi India Pakistan vs India 100m Gold 10.4sec
(New Asian Record)

(New Pakistan Record)

5 1956 Delhi India Pakistan vs India 200m Gold 21.4sec
(New Asian record)

(New Pakistan Record)

6 1956 Delhi India Pakistan vs India 4*100m Silver
7 1956 Berlin Germany International Military
Track and Field Championship 		100m Bronze 10.4sec
8 1956 Berlin Germany International Military
Track and Field Championship 		200m Bronze 21.4/10sec
9 1956 England England Pakistan Athletics
Training Programme 		100y Gold 10.1sec
10 1956 London England England National Competitions 100m Silver
11 1956 Edinburgh Scotland Highland Games 100y Gold
12 1956 Kelang Australia International Meet Australia 200m Silver
13 1956 Victoria Australia Victorian Relay Championship 100m Gold 10.4 sec
14 1956 Victoria Australia Victorian Relay Championship 4* 100m Gold 41.6 sec
15 1956 Bendigo Australia International Meet Australia 100m Bronze
16 1956 England England Victorian Open Competitions 100m Gold
17 1957 White City England London vs New York 100y Gold
18 1957 White City England London vs New York 100m Gold 10.6sec
19 1957 Glasgow England Rangers Meet 120y Gold 11.6sec
20 1957 Glasgow England Rangers Meet 220y Gold 21.8sec
21 1957 Manchester England International Competitions 100y Gold 9.6sec
22 1957 Manchester England Open Meet 100y Gold
23 1957 Dublin Ireland Irish International Meet 100y Gold
24 1957 Tehran Iran Pak Iran Competitions 100m Gold 10.8sec
25 1957 Tehran Iran Pak Iran Competitions 200m Gold 22sec
26 1957 Tehran Iran Pak Iran Competitions 4*100m Gold 40.8sec
27 1957 Athens Greece World Military Meet Athens 100m Silver
28 1957 Edinburgh Scotland Highland Games 100y Gold 9.9sec
29 1958 Tokyo Japan Japan International 100m Silver
30 1958 Hong Kong China International Meet 100m Gold
31 1958 Tokyo Japan 3rd Asian Games 100m Gold 10.9sec
32 1958 Tokyo Japan 3rd Asian Games 200m Silver 21.7sec
33 1958 Tokyo Japan 3rd Asian Games 4*100m Bronze 41.5
34 1958 Edinburgh Scotland Dual Empire Games 100y Bronze 9.9sec
35 1959 Bradford England International Meet England 100y Gold 10.1sec
36 1959 Bradford England International Meet England 220y Silver
37 1959 Bright Hill England International Meet England 100y Gold
38 1959 Dublin Ireland Irish International Meet 100m Gold
39 1959 Dublin Ireland Irish International Meet 200m Gold
40 1959 Cardiff Wales Wales International 100m Gold
41 1959 Cardiff Wales Wales International 200m Gold
42 1959 Glasgow Scotland International Meet 120y Gold 11.6sec
43 1959 Malmö Sweden International Meet 100m Silver
44 1959 Malmö Sweden International Meet 200m Silver
45 1959 Gävle Sweden International Meet 200m Silver 21.9sec
46 1959 Stockholm Sweden International Meet 100m Silver 10.7sec
47 1959 Stockholm Sweden International Meet 200m Bronze 21.6sec
48 1959 Borås Sweden International Meet 200m Gold
49 1959 Gothenburg Sweden International Meet 100m Silver 21.8sec
50 1959 Edinburgh Scotland Highland Games 100m Silver
51 1959 Dublin Ireland International Track and Field Meet 220y Gold 22.2sec
52 1959 Cardiff Wales International Dual Meet 100y Bronze 10sec
53 1959 Cardiff Wales International Dual Meet 220y Bronze
54 1959 Malmö Sweden International Meet 100m Bronze 10.6sec
55 1960 Lahore Pakistan First youth Festival
and Triangular International Meet 		100m Gold 10.4sec
56 1960 Lahore Pakistan First youth Festival
and Triangular International Meet 		200m Bronze
57 1960 Lahore Pakistan First youth Festival
and Triangular International Meet 		4*100m Gold 41.5sec
58 1960 Medawala England International Games 200m Gold
59 1960 Cairo Egypt Egypt International Games 100m Gold
60 1960 Cairo Egypt Egypt International Games 200m Gold
61 1962 's-Hertogenbosch Netherlands World Military Games 100m Bronze
62 1962 Ipoh Malaysia International Meet 100m Silver
63 1962 Ipoh Malaysia International Meet 200m Bronze 22.1sec

Running statistics

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Event Year Venue Time
100y 1957 Manchester (United Kingdom) 9.6
100y 1957 Edinburgh (United Kingdom) 9.9
100y 1958 Edinburgh (United Kingdom) 9.9
100m 1959 Rawalpindi (Pakistan) 10.2
100m 1956 Abbottabad (Pakistan) 10.2
100m 1957 Sialkot (Pakistan) 10.3
100m 1954 Delhi (India) 10.4
100m 1956 Berlin (Germany) 10.4
100m 1960 Lahore (Pakistan) 10.4
100m 1956 Manila (Philippines) 10.6
100m 1957 White city (United Kingdom) 10.6
100m 1958 Tokyo (Japan) 10.6
100m 1957 Tehran (Iran) 10.8
120y 1957 Glasgow (United Kingdom) 11.6
120y 1959 Glasgow (United Kingdom) 11.6
200m 1956 Abbottabad (Pakistan) 20.8
200m 1956 Melbourne (Australia) 21.1
200m 1954 Delhi (India) 21.4
200m 1959 Stockholm (Sweden) 21.6
200m 1956 Berlin (Germany) 21.4
220y 1958 London (United Kingdom) 21.5
220y 1958 Glasgow (United Kingdom) 21.8

References

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  1. ^ a b c Somak Adhikari. Remembering Abdul Khaliq, The Flying Bird Of Asia And Milkha Singh's Arch-Rival On The Track. 29 October 2019. India Times.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Did the 'fastest man of Asia' run in vain". Dawn.com. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "History of athletics in Pakistan". afp.com.pk. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d "The Golden Age of Pakistani Athletics: The 50s and the 60s". The News. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  5. ^ "Athletics in Pakistan". Sports.gov.pk. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
  6. ^ "Fastest Man of Asia after Establishment of Pakistan". Jang Multimedia. Archived from the original on 16 November 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  7. ^ "Memories of Flying Bird of Asia". The Hindu. 2 January 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  8. ^ a b c d Mukhtar, Bhatti; A. Haye, Bhatti (June 1969) [1969], "19", Twenty Years of Sports in Pakistan (1st ed.), Lahore: Bhatti Publications, pp. 9 to 34
  9. ^ Bhatti, Mukhtar (1969). Abdul Khaliq. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  10. ^ "The Flying bird of Asia". 11 March 2021.
  11. ^ "Record Dash by Pakistan Top Sprinter Abdul Khaliq". The Age. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  12. ^ a b "Final Standing in Melbourne Olympics 1956". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  13. ^ "Men 100m in Melbourne Olympics 1956". todor66. Archived from the original on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
  14. ^ "Men 4* 100m_Relay in Melbourne Olympics 1956". todor66. Archived from the original on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
  15. ^ "Abdul Khaliq Makes Pakistan Proud at Melbourne". Archived from the original on 12 January 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
  16. ^ "Official Report (Pages No. 271,287–290)". Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  17. ^ "Abdul Khaliq Fastest man of Asia". TheNews.com.pk. Retrieved 6 February 2010.
  18. ^ "Men 100m in Rome Olympics 1960". todor66. Archived from the original on 7 February 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
  19. ^ "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag". Box Office India. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  20. ^ "Hamza Ali Abbasi to play legendary athlete Abdul Khaliq in upcoming biopic". Daily Jang. September 2024.