Sriram Singh
Encyclopedia
Sriram Singh was an India
n middle distance runner.
Sriram Singh joined Rajputana Rifles
in 1968 where he came under the influence of the coach Ilyas Babar
. Babar persuaded him to shift his focus from 400m to 800m.
In the 1970 Asian Games
in Bangkok
, he was beaten to the second place in the 800 by Jimmy Crampton of Burma. Singh went out in the heats in the Munich Olympics in 1972
but his time of 1:47.7 bettered Crampton's Asian record. He improved it to 1:47.6 while winning the gold in the Teheran Asian Games of 1974
.
The high point of Sriram Singh's career was the 800m race in 1976 Montreal Olympics
. Prior to the competition he had never run on synthetic tracks. The qualifying round, the semifinal and the final were run on successive days. In the first race, he broke his own Asian record with a time of 1:45.94. In the semifinal, he came second in a time of 1:46.40.
In the final, Singh led at the bell with a time of 50.85 ahead of Cuba
n Alberto Juantorena
's 50.90. Juantorena caught up with him around the 550m mark and won in a world record time of 1:43.50. Singh faded away in the home straight to finish seventh with a time of 1:45.77. Juantorena later attributed his world record to Sriram's front running.
Sriram Singh's time stood as an Asian record till 1994 and as of 2011 is still the Indian national record
. He retained his 800m gold medal in the 1978 Asian Games (1:48.80), but was eliminated in the heats of the same event in the Moscow Olympics
.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n middle distance runner.
Sriram Singh joined Rajputana Rifles
Rajputana Rifles
The Rajputana Rifles is the most senior rifle regiment of the Indian Army. It was originally raised in 1921 as part of the British Indian Army, when six previously existing regiments were amalgamated together to form six battalions of the 6th Rajputana Rifles...
in 1968 where he came under the influence of the coach Ilyas Babar
Ilyas Babar
Mohammad Ilyas Babar was an Indian athletic coach.Babar was born in Gulbarga in Karnataka. He became an outstanding university athlete in Hyderabad and was the state champion in 110m hurdles between 1950 and 1957, and in long jump...
. Babar persuaded him to shift his focus from 400m to 800m.
In the 1970 Asian Games
1970 Asian Games
The 6th Asian Games were held from December 9, 1970 to December 20, 1970 in Bangkok, Thailand. Originally Seoul, South Korea was selected to host the 6th Games but it declined due to both financial reasons and security threats from neighboring North Korea. Previous host Thailand stepped in to save...
in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, he was beaten to the second place in the 800 by Jimmy Crampton of Burma. Singh went out in the heats in the Munich Olympics in 1972
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
but his time of 1:47.7 bettered Crampton's Asian record. He improved it to 1:47.6 while winning the gold in the Teheran Asian Games of 1974
1974 Asian Games
The 7th Asian Games were held from September 1, 1974 to September 16, 1974 in Tehran, Iran. The Aryamehr sports complex was made for the Games. The Asian Games were hosted in the Middle East for the first time...
.
The high point of Sriram Singh's career was the 800m race in 1976 Montreal Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
. Prior to the competition he had never run on synthetic tracks. The qualifying round, the semifinal and the final were run on successive days. In the first race, he broke his own Asian record with a time of 1:45.94. In the semifinal, he came second in a time of 1:46.40.
In the final, Singh led at the bell with a time of 50.85 ahead of Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n Alberto Juantorena
Alberto Juantorena
Alberto Juantorena Danger is a Cuban former track athlete. At the 1976 Summer Olympics, he became the first and so far only athlete to win both the 400 and 800 m Olympic titles....
's 50.90. Juantorena caught up with him around the 550m mark and won in a world record time of 1:43.50. Singh faded away in the home straight to finish seventh with a time of 1:45.77. Juantorena later attributed his world record to Sriram's front running.
Sriram Singh's time stood as an Asian record till 1994 and as of 2011 is still the Indian national record
Indian records in athletics
The following are the national records in athletics in India maintained by Athletics Federation of India .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:X = unratified due to no doping control# = not recognised by federationht = hand timingA = affected by altitude...
. He retained his 800m gold medal in the 1978 Asian Games (1:48.80), but was eliminated in the heats of the same event in the Moscow Olympics
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
.
Achievements
| Year | Tournament | Venue | Result | Extra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Asian Games 1970 Asian Games The 6th Asian Games were held from December 9, 1970 to December 20, 1970 in Bangkok, Thailand. Originally Seoul, South Korea was selected to host the 6th Games but it declined due to both financial reasons and security threats from neighboring North Korea. Previous host Thailand stepped in to save... |
Bangkok Bangkok Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom... , Thailand Thailand Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the... |
2nd | 800 m |
| 1974 | Asian Games 1974 Asian Games The 7th Asian Games were held from September 1, 1974 to September 16, 1974 in Tehran, Iran. The Aryamehr sports complex was made for the Games. The Asian Games were hosted in the Middle East for the first time... |
Tehran Tehran Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to... , Iran Iran Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia... |
1st | 800 m |
| 1978 | Asian Games 1978 Asian Games The 8th Asian Games were held from December 9, 1978 to December 20, 1978 in Bangkok, Thailand. Originally, the host city was Singapore but Singapore dropped its plan to host the Games due to financial problems. And then Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan was decided to host the 8th Games... |
Bangkok Bangkok Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom... , Thailand Thailand Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the... |
1st | 800 m |