• Source: Abdul Khaliq (athlete)

Subedar Abdul Khaliq (Punjabi, Urdu: عبد الخالق; 23 March 1933 – 10 March 1988), also known by his nickname Parinda-e-Asia پرندہ ایشیاء (Urdu for The Flying Bird of Asia), was a Pakistani sprinter and military officer from the 8th Medium Artillery Regiment. He has won 36 international gold medals, 15 international silver medals, and 12 international bronze medals while representing Pakistan.
He competed in the 100m, 200m, and 4 x 100 metres relay. He represented Pakistan in the 1956 Summer Olympics and the 1960 Summer Olympics. He also participated in the 1954 Asian Games and the 1958 Asian Games.




Early life


Khaliq was born in Jand, in the Chakwal district of the Punjab province of British India on 23 March 1933. He initially developed an interest in kabaddi, becoming a practicing athlete of the contact sport. During a kabaddi match, his performance was witnessed by the head of Pakistan Army Sports Control Board, Brigadier Rodham. The latter got Khaliq recruited in Army's Boys Company, whose task was to prepare athletes.




International career






= 1954

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Asian Games

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. He was subsequently dubbed as the Fastest Man of Asia. Abdul Khaliq won gold and silver medal from 100-meter and 4 × 100 m relay race respectively in the 1954 Asian Games. 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" for his record-setting performance.



Commonwealth and British Empire Games

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




= 1955

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




= 1956

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Indo-Pak Meet at Delhi

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 100m Gold medal with a time of 10.4 seconds. He also won the 200 meter race and defeated Lavy Pinto of India and set a new record by clocking in 21.4 seconds.



World Military Games at Berlin

At the 1956 World Military Games in Berlin, Abdul Khaliq finished third in the final of the 100 meters with a time of 10.4 seconds, matching his Delhi time. He won bronze medals in the 100, 200, and 4x100 meter relays.



Pakistan Athletics Training Program in England

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.. He won the 100-yard in 10.1 seconds at an international meet in Highland Games on a turf track which was rendered wet due to incessant rains in the morning. Here, he defeated athletes from 15 countries in Europe.



Victorian Relay Championship

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 golf medal in the 100 meters and the 4x100 yards.



Melbourne Olympics

In the 1956 Summer Olympics, Abdul Khaliq was a semi-finalist in both 100 meters and 200 meters races. Khaliq's time in 200-meter race of 21.1 seconds achieved 4th position in the semi-finals. This performance of Khaliq's put him in the top seven athletes of the Olympics. On 24 November 1956, the day of the semi-finals and the final of the 100 meters in the Olympics, Abdul Khaliq ran two challenging races on the same day as "Anchor Man" for the winning Pakistan team in the 4x110-yard in the Victorian Relay Championship before tackling the 100-meter dash of the semi-final. With Khaliq running the last leg, the Pakistan team extended a lead of 10 yards in the final, clocking 41.6 seconds in the Victorian championship, which was one-tenth of a second outside of the national record held by the Australian Olympics team.
Final Standings in Melbourne Olympics




= 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.




= 1958

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Asian Games

Khaliq participated in the 1958 Asian Games. He defended his title in the 100 meter race by defeating Kyohei Ushio of Japan. 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

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.




= 1959

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In 1959, Abdul Khaliq participated in many countries, including England, Sweden, Irish, Wales, Highland, Ireland. He won 9 international gold medals, 7 international silver medal, and 4 international bronze medal through several events.




= 1960

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Olympic Games

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 event.



International Meet at Lahore

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




Coaching career


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




Personal life and death


Coming from a family of athletes, Khalid's younger brother Abdul Malik also was an athlete. Khaliq was held as 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.
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. The third son, Mohammad Ejaz served as a coach of athletics in Pakistan Sports Board while the youngest son, Abdul Razzaq, served as instructor of physical education in the village school.
Khaliq died on 10 March 1988 in Rawalpindi.




Legacy


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. In 2024, a biopic about him is in the works.




Achievements


International Medals (numbers as per events)

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




Medals (international)






Running statistics






References

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Abdul Khaliq (athlete)
• Abd al-Khaliq
• Abdul Khaliq Hazara (assassin)
• Abdul Malik (athlete)
• Athletics in Pakistan
• Dev Gill
• Khwaja Muhammad Aslam
• Milkha Singh
• Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
• Pakistan at the Olympics