World's oldest marathon runner Fauja Singh dies at 114 after being hit by car
Singh was reportedly involved in a hit-and-run Monday while crossing a road near his "native village near Jalandhar," per the Associated Press. He sustained severe head trauma and was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
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Singh took up running as a serious passion at 89 following the death of his wife and son. Despite his age, he began competing in international events. At 100, Singh attempted to break a number of records during a meet in Canada. He reportedly ran the 100-meter dash in 23.14 seconds, setting a record.
Singh also reportedly finished the Toronto Waterfront Marathon three days later, making him the oldest person to complete a marathon. He reportedly finished the race in 8:25:17, per Olympics.com.
While that would have been a record, Singh is not recognized in the Guinness World Records because he could not produce a birth certificate. Singh attempted to prove his birth by producing a British passport, which listed his date of birth as April 1, 1911. Birth records were not kept in India, where Singh was born, in 1911.
The following year, Singh retired from running at 101. That didn't stop him from serving as a torchbearer at the 2012 Olympics, however.
In a statement, India's Prime minister Narendra Modi called Singh "extraordinary" and "an exceptional athlete with incredible determination," per the AP.
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