India's first Olympic swimmer passes away

India's first Olympic swimmer Shamsher Khan passed away on Sunday after suffering a heart failure.

Shamsher, 87, is survived by three daughters and two sons.

He lived in a small village, Kaithepalle near Repalle in Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur district.

"He complained of chest pain in the morning. Before we could reach the hospital, he passed away," Shamsher's daughter-in-law M Roushn said.

He secured a passage to the 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics after creating a national record in the 200-meter butterfly event. 

Image used for representational purposes

Photograph: Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters