World's oldest marathon runner, Fauja Singh, dies at 114 after being hit by a car
Local media in India reported that Singh sustained severe head injuries in a hit-and-run accident on Monday while he was crossing the road at his native village near Jalandhar in Punjab. He was taken to the hospital where he later died. His London-based running club and charity, Sikhs In The City, confirmed his death.
Advertisement
India's Prime minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Singh, saying he was 'extraordinary because of his unique persona and the manner in which he inspired the youth of India on a very important topic of fitness.'
Singh became the oldest man to run a full marathon in 2011 at the age of 100 in Toronto. His accomplishment was not recognized by Guinness World Records because he did not have a birth certificate to prove his age. Singh had a British passport that showed his date of birth as April 1, 1911, while a letter from Indian government officials stated that birth records were not kept in 1911.
A torchbearer for the 2012 London Olympics, Singh took up running at the age of 89 as a way to get over depression after his wife and son died in quick succession in India. The death in 1994 of his son took a particularly hard toll on him because of its grisly nature.
Singh and his son, Kuldip, both farmers, were checking on their fields in the middle of a storm when a piece of corrugated metal blown by the wind decapitated Kuldip in front of his father's eyes.
Advertisement
Singh, whose five other children had emigrated, was left all alone.
'He didn't think his life was worth living without his son' following the traumatic incident, his coach Harmander Singh said.
He went to live with his youngest son in London. That's where sports enthusiast Singh attended tournaments organized by the Sikh community and took part in sprints. He met some Sikh marathon runners who encouraged him to take up long-distance running. One day he saw a marathon on television for the first time and decided that's what he wanted to do.
At the age of 89 in 2000 he ran the London Marathon, his first, and went on to do eight more. His best time was 5 hours and 40 minutes at the 2003 Toronto Marathon.
Advertisement
'From a tragedy has come a lot of success and happiness,' Singh said.
Singh ran his last competitive race in 2013 at the age of 101, finishing the Hong Kong Marathon's 10-kilometer (6.25-mile) race in 1 hour, 32 minutes, 28 seconds.
Following his retirement from racing, he said he hoped 'people will remember me and not forget me.' He also wanted people to continue to invite him to events 'rather than forget me altogether just because I don't run anymore.'
'He was an exceptional athlete with incredible determination,' Modi said. 'Pained by his passing away. My thoughts are with his family and countless admirers around the world.'
___
More AP Sports: https://apnews.com/sports
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
5 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
No Welsh players in a British and Irish Lions test team for the first time in 129 years
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — An important element in the great tradition of uniting players from Britain and Ireland to form the Lions will be missing Saturday when there's no Welshman in the test squad for the first time in 129 years. It'll be the might of Ireland, England and Scotland against Australia. Back-rower Jac Morgan was the only Welshman left in the touring group in Australia when scrumhalf Tomos Williams injured his hamstring and was ruled out of the series. Morgan's impressive appearances in the leadup to the three-test series against Australia weren't enough to earn him a spot in a back row comprising of Irish No. 8 Jack Conan and blindside flanker Tadhg Beirne and England openside Tom Curry. England's Ollie Chessum and Ben Earl were picked as cover off the bench. In announcing his match-day 23 on Thursday, Lions head coach Andy Farrell said Morgan got 'as close as you could imagine' to selection. He said he was 'gutted' for players like Morgan who were in good form and could have been picked but missed out because of the incredible depth in some areas and for the balance of the squad. 'Shows where we're at as a group,' Farrell said. 'That's the right balance for the first test.' Beirne is a big game player, strong on turnovers and ball-carrying, and complements Conan, Farrell said, while Curry has the kind of 'engine' needed to win a test. Farrell said there'd been 'very vigorous debate' in the composition of the team but ultimately all the selectors settled on the combination. The BBC described the selection as 'yet another sign ... to highlight Welsh rugby's fall from grace,' adding that Morgan's absence against Australia 'rubs salt into an already hurtful wound.' In the 23 there's 11 from Ireland, nine from England and three from Scotland, the BBC noted, 'and none from Wales for a squad against Australia, New Zealand or South Africa for the first time since 1896 — an extraordinary and damning statistic.' In the modern era, the Lions have toured every four years on a rotating basis to South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. The Welsh have had a proud tradition of being a force within the Lions. But Welsh rugby has been in serious decline since the 2023 World Cup, where they beat the two-time champion Australians. Wales' 18-match losing streak — tied for the longest by a major rugby team in test history — ended only last weekend in a 31-22 win over Japan . Former Lion and Wales international Dafydd James told the BBC the Lions test team 'says exactly where Welsh rugby is, and it's worrying.' 'It's sobering and a sad indictment of the way the game has gone in Wales.' Farrell said 'there's obviously scope' for players like Morgan to work their way into the test team for the second and third matches, but for the series opener, 'We picked the best team to win this match.' ___ AP rugby:
New York Times
6 minutes ago
- New York Times
Newcastle exploring deal for Brentford's Yoane Wissa, cool interest in Hugo Ekitike
Newcastle United are exploring a deal to sign Brentford striker Yoane Wissa after cooling their interest in Eintracht Frankfurt's Hugo Ekitike. The north east club are yet to contact Brentford but that is expected soon, while an agreement would also be needed with the DR Congo international on personal terms. Advertisement Nottingham Forest recently saw an offer for Wissa rejected. The 28-year-old was the Premier League's highest non-penalty goalscorer last season, finding the net 19 times in 35 games. His Brentford contract expires in June 2026, though they have an option to extend by 12 months. Newcastle were prioritising a move for Ekitike but had an €80million bid turned down and are not actively working on the situation at present. The Athletic reported on Wednesday that Liverpool had made contact with Frankfurt over a move for the 23-year-old. Wissa is high among their alternative targets but Brentford's willingness to sell and the potential asking price may rest on what happens in relation to his team-mate Bryan Mbeumo, who is being pursued by Manchester United. Any exit for Wissa, who joined Brentford from Lorient in August 2021, would only add to a huge summer of change at the west London club. Thomas Frank, who brought Wissa to England and helped to mould him into a top-level forward, has since moved from Brentford to Tottenham Hotspur along with three members of his backroom staff. Captain Christian Norgaard has also joined Arsenal with Keith Andrews, the former midfielder and previously the club's set-piece coach, appointed as Frank's replacement last month. ()
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
'Messy, horrible - Forest don't want this and Gibbs-White doesn't either'
BBC Radio Nottingham's Colin Fray says it appears Forest "aren't looking for a quick resolution" to Tottenham's approach for Morgan Gibbs-White. Forest are considering legal action against the north London club as it is believed they are looking at whether a specific confidentiality agreement in the £60m release clause in Gibbs-White's contract has been breached. "It is certainly one that Forest could have been doing without and one that has got the fans worried," Fray said on the Shut Up And Show More Football podcast. "On the back of the exit of Anthony Elanga to Newcastle, fans were willing to accept that a big sale might be necessary this summer because that's life in the days of PSR and the Premier League. Although disappointed with that possibility and subsequent reality, people accepted that. "But, to have this right on the heel of the Elanga deal caused a lot of concern among supporters, and still is. It is a moving situation and things may change quickly - but it is messy, it is horrible, Forest don't want to be there in that situation. I'm fairly sure Gibbs-White doesn't either." Not a Forest fan? Follow your Premier League club on BBC Sport Gibbs-White returned to training with Forest this week, adding to the speculation surrounding his future. "It's going to be interesting to see how it plays out from here," added Fray. "Most thought it would be ironed out and the transfer go through. Not many were expecting him back at training and here he is. That is another twist in the story. "Forest have set their stall out that they aren't looking for a quick resolution. They want to keep him." Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds
