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. 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.
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.
Khaliq was born on March 23, 1933, in Jand, in the Chakwal district of Punjab province, British India. 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.
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. Abdul Khaliq won gold and silver medals in 100-meter and 4 × 100 m relay races, 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".
Abdul Khaliq was a 100-yard semi-finalist and a 4x110-yard finalist in the 1954 Commonwealth and British Games.
In 1955, Abdul Khaliq took part in the World Military Games held in Athens, Greece.
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.
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. His other two bronze medals came in the 200 m inidividual, and 4x100 meter relays.
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 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.
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.
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.
Final Standings in Melbourne Olympics
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
Khaliq died on March 10, 1988 in Rawalpindi.
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 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.
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.