Latest news with #Jalandhar
The Guardian
a day ago
- The Guardian
‘When you get old, you become young again': remembering Fauja Singh, the marathon man
The first 20 miles of a marathon are not difficult, Fauja Singh once said. When it came to the last six miles, however, 'I run while talking to God.' The fact that he was attempting the distance at all might seem, to some, proof of divine assistance. Singh was 89 when he first took up distance running, having stumbled across a TV snippet of people running a marathon, and decided to give it a go. By his mid-90s he was a marathon veteran, a record holder for his age group and even a poster model for Adidas; aged 101 – or at least so he believed, since he never had a birth certificate – he became the oldest person ever to run the distance. This week, at the age of 114, Singh's race finally came to an end. He was hit by a car while crossing the road in his birth village of Beas Pind, near Jalandhar in Punjab, and suffered fatal injuries. A man has been arrested, according to Indian police. At Singh's former home in Ilford, east London, where he discovered running and trained for his athletic feats, his friends have been remembering a man who, in the words of his former trainer Harmander Singh (no relation), was 'an icon of humanity and a powerhouse of positivity'. 'We wouldn't say we were ready for [his death], but these circumstances certainly didn't help,' he said on Thursday, from the park where they used to train together. 'It did catch us by surprise.' Fauja Singh had spent the first eight decades of his life as a farmer in his small Punjabi village, where he was born in 1911, had married and raised six children, but never learned to read or write. After his wife died in the early 90s and their sole remaining son in the village was killed in an accident, he moved to Ilford to be close to other family members. It was here that Singh, griefstricken and speaking no English, was flicking through a TV set when he stumbled across footage of the 1999 New York marathon. 'He wanted to know what this race was because he couldn't relate to why people were running for so long,' says Harmander, 65. 'He didn't know what a marathon was. He was told it was 26 miles. He'd done a 20km walk a few months earlier, and he couldn't tell the difference between a mile and a kilometre. He said, 'Well, I can do another six.'' Through mutual friends he was introduced to Harmander, a keen amateur distance runner who had informally trained a few others, and had a keen eye for publicity. Though applications for the coming London marathon had closed, he helped to secure Singh a charity place. 'Then I had to explain to him what a charity was and what kind of different charities there were.' It was to be the first of many marathons, and other feats besides. The 52kg (8st 2lb) runner in his trademark yellow turban and long white beard may have seemed fragile, but a lifetime of hard physical work had made him strong. At 100, he set five age-related world records in a day, at distances from 100 metres to 5,000 metres. But though Singh was widely acclaimed as the first centenarian and oldest ever marathon runner, his lack of paperwork meant that his feat was never acknowledged by the Guinness World Records (the lack of paperwork did not, incidentally, stop him acquiring a British passport at around the same time). It's a subject on which his coach is still sore on his behalf, but Singh was untroubled, he says. 'He didn't care. He said, 'Who's Guinness?'' Any money he earned was given to charity, says his coach. Nonetheless, Singh undoubtedly enjoyed his celebrity: a children's book, Fauja Singh Keeps Going, and a Bollywood movie, Fauja, were inspired by his story. 'I think the attention kept him alive,' says Harmander. 'Another one of his sayings was, 'When you get old, you become young again, because you want attention.' 'He was fascinated, dazzled, because everything was glittering to him.' Needless to say, Harmander believes Singh's example shows you are never too old to run. 'I never ask people for their age,' he says – assuming they have been cleared by their doctor to run, he'll ask them to focus on their motivations. 'Because I'll remind them, when they're slacking later, why they wanted to do it in the first place.' The east London running club he founded, called Sikhs in the City, is now fundraising for a new clubhouse in memory of its most celebrated former member. Despite its name, says Harmander, it is open to all. In Singh's case, after a hard physical life and so much loss, running represented a distraction from his immense grief, his coach says. 'When I asked him about his motivations, he said, 'I just wanted to do something useful rather than dwell on the past.''
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Driver held for hit-and-run death of world's 'oldest' marathon runner
Police in India have arrested a man in connection with the death of Fauja Singh, the world's oldest marathon runner, in a hit-and-run case. According to the police, the accused, Amritpal Singh Dhillon was driving a speeding SUV when he struck the 114-year-old British-Indian runner. Singh sustained critical injuries and died shortly after being taken to hospital. The incident took place in the northern state of Punjab on Monday, where Singh was out on his afternoon walk. Singh, a global icon, set records by running marathons across multiple age categories, including when he was over 100. He began running at 89 and ran nine full marathons between 2000 and 2013, when he retired. A white-coloured SUV, allegedly used in the incident, has also been recovered by the police. The hit and run occurred near Fauja Singh's birth village of Beas Pind, close to Jalandhar city. Police said Singh was crossing a road when he was struck by a vehicle. Locals took him to hospital, where he later died. According to Indian media reports citing the police complaint, the runner's life might have been saved had the 26-year-old driver immediately taken Singh to the hospital. Singh had many records to his name. In 2011, he reportedly became the first person over 100 to finish a full marathon, in Toronto. He also carried the Olympic torch at the 2012 London Olympics. Despite his achievements, Guinness World Records could not recognise him as the oldest marathon runner because he did not have a birth certificate from 1911. The BBC earlier reported that Singh's British passport showed his date of birth as being 1 April 1911, and that he had a letter from the Queen congratulating him on his 100th birthday. Guinness said they wanted to give him the record but could only accept official documents from the year of birth. His marathon trainer had earlier said that birth certificates were not issued in India at the time. His running club and charity, Sikhs In The City, said its upcoming events in Ilford, east London, where he had lived since 1992, would be a celebration of his life and achievements. As a young boy, Singh was often teased in his village in Punjab because his legs were weak. He couldn't walk properly until the age of five. "But the same boy, once mocked for his weakness, went on to make history," he told BBC Punjabi in June. Singh never went to school and didn't play any sports growing up. He worked as a farmer and lived through both World Wars and the turbulent partition of India. "In my youth, I didn't even know the word 'marathon' existed," he said. He started running much later in life, after going through deep personal loss. In the early 1990s, after his wife died, Singh moved to London to live with his eldest son. But during a visit to India, he witnessed his younger son Kuldeep's death in an accident, which left him devastated. Back in the UK, Singh was overtaken by grief. One day, during a visit to the local gurdwara in Ilford, he met a group of older men who went on regular runs. That's where he also met Harmander Singh, who later became his coach and his journey as a runner began. Singh shot to international fame when Adidas signed him for their 2004 Impossible is Nothing advertising campaign, which also featured legends such as Muhammad Ali. Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
Khaleej Times
4 days ago
- Khaleej Times
Fauja Singh death: Canada-based NRI arrested in hit-and-run case
Legendary marathoner Fauja Singh, fondly remembered as the 'Turbaned Tornado,' passed away on Monday at the age of 114 after being hit by a vehicle. The accident occurred his ancestral village in Punjab's Jalandhar. Singh suffered head injuries in the hit-and-run accident and was taken to the hospital, where he later died. His son, Harvinder Singh, confirmed the heartbreaking news and said, "He was hit by a vehicle, and the driver ran away. The police are conducting an investigation. The last rites will be done in 2-3 days." The driver, Amritpal Singh Dhillon, a 26-year-old non-resident Indian (NRI), was arrested on Wednesday, Indian media reports said. The Punjab-registered Toyota Fortuner, which was allegedly involved in the hit-and-run on Monday, has also been seized. Dhillon, originally from Kartarpur in Jalandhar, had gone to Canada on a tourist visa but got a work permit there, which is valid till 2027, police officials said. He came to India late last month. The accused told the police that he did not know the man he had hit was the marathoner, and only learnt about it through the news, Indian media reports said. Who was Fauja Singh? Fauja Singh, popularly known as the 'Sikh Superman,' stunned the world by shattering several records as a marathon runner in multiple age brackets. Since making his debut at the London Marathon in 2000 at the age of 89, Singh has completed it six more times and has also finished marathons in Toronto, New York, and several more cities. He ran several full marathons and also competed in 10 km races before retiring in 2013. He was not inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records due to the lack of a birth certificate, as birth records were not kept in India in 1911, media reports said in 2011.
The Independent
4 days ago
- The Independent
Driver who ran over and killed world's oldest marathoner Fauja Singh arrested
Police in India have arrested a man who allegedly rammed his car into a British national believed to be the oldest marathon runner. Fauja Singh died at the age of 114 after being hit by a car while trying to cross a road in his birth village Beas Pind, near Jalandhar district in the western state of Punjab on Monday. The Punjab police reportedly arrested Amritpal Singh Dhillon, 33, on Tuesday night from his home in Jalandhar district. The suspect allegedly told the police that he was returning from Bhogpur town when the incident took place. In their complaint, the police stated that the vehicle was speeding and instead of taking Singh to the hospital after the accident, the driver fled the scene. The suspect purchased a white Toyota Fortuner from a Punjab local after arriving in India from Canada about eight days ago, the Hindustan Times reported. Singh was on his way to a roadside eatery or a dhaba when the Fortuner struck him on Monday. Gurdeep Singh, who managed the eatery, told the Times of India that Singh used to eat at the dhaba every few days. Singh "had a simple meal and sat for tea. It was kind of a pilgrimage for him to be near his son's photo," he said. "People would often take selfies with him. We were proud to have him here," he added. Born in pre-independence Punjab in April 1911, Singh was said to have suffered from thin and weak legs as a child. The youngest of four children in a farming family, he was unable to walk until he was five years old. He moved to England and settled in Ilford, east London in 1992 with his son after the death of his wife Gian Kaur in Jalandhar. It was not until 2000, aged 89, that he took up running, quickly rising to fame by completing his first marathon in London in six hours and 54 minutes – 58 minutes faster than the previous world's best in the 90-plus age bracket. He made his name by beating a number of records for marathon times in multiple age brackets, and the centenarian became an inspiration for countless athletes by running marathons past the age of 100. His personal best came at the Toronto marathon in 2003, where he ran the course in just five hours 40 minutes. He then became the first centenarian to run a marathon eight years later and retired at the age of 101, after being a torchbearer for the London 2012 Olympics. Harmander Singh, Fauja Singh's coach at Sikhs In The City, said the club will be devoting all of its events until March next year to celebrate Singh's life and achievements. It asked mourners to donate to his clubhouse appeal rather than buy flowers. Indian prime minister Narendra Modi in his tribute said Singh 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". "He was an exceptional athlete with incredible determination. Pained by his passing away. My thoughts are with his family and countless admirers around the world," he posted on X. Labour MP Preet Kaur Gill also paid tribute to the runner, posting on X: 'Saddened to hear about the passing of Fauja Singh. 'I had the honour of meeting him. A truly inspiring man. His discipline, simple living, and deep humility left a lasting mark on me. A reminder that age is just a number, but attitude is everything. Rest in power, legend.'
BBC News
4 days ago
- BBC News
Fauja SIngh: Driver held over hit-and-run death of world's 'oldest' marathon runner
Police in India have arrested a man in connection with the death of Fauja Singh, the world's oldest marathon runner, in a hit-and-run to the police, the accused, Amritpal Singh Dhillon was driving a speeding SUV when he struck the 114-year-old British-Indian runner. Singh sustained critical injuries and died shortly after being taken to incident took place in the northern state of Punjab on Monday, where Singh was out on his afternoon walk. Singh, a global icon, set records by running marathons across multiple age categories, including when he was over 100. He began running at 89 and ran nine full marathons between 2000 and 2013, when he retired. A white-coloured SUV, allegedly used in the incident, has also been recovered by the police. The hit and run occurred near Fauja Singh's birth village of Beas Pind, close to Jalandhar city. Police said Singh was crossing a road when he was struck by a vehicle. Locals rushed him to hospital, where he later to Indian media reports citing the police complaint, the runner's life might have been saved had the 26-year-old driver immediately taken Singh to the hospital. Singh had many records to his name. In 2011, he reportedly became the first person over 100 to finish a full marathon, in Toronto. He also carried the Olympic torch at the 2012 London his achievements, Guinness World Records could not recognise him as the oldest marathon runner because he did not have a birth certificate from 1911. The BBC earlier reported that Singh's British passport showed his date of birth as being 1 April 1911, and that he had a letter from the Queen congratulating him on his 100th birthday. Guinness said they wanted to give him the record but could only accept official documents from the year of marathon trainer had earlier said that birth certificates were not issued in India at the running club and charity, Sikhs In The City, said its upcoming events in Ilford, east London, where he had lived since 1992, would be a celebration of his life and a young boy, Singh was often teased in his village in Punjab because his legs were weak. He couldn't walk properly until the age of five. "But the same boy, once mocked for his weakness, went on to make history," he told BBC Punjabi in never went to school and didn't play any sports growing up. He worked as a farmer and lived through both World Wars and the turbulent partition of India. "In my youth, I didn't even know the word 'marathon' existed," he said. He started running much later in life, after going through deep personal loss. In the early 1990s, after his wife died, Singh moved to London to live with his eldest son. But during a visit to India, he witnessed his younger son Kuldeep's death in an accident, which left him in the UK, Singh was overtaken by grief. One day, during a visit to the local gurdwara in Ilford, he met a group of older men who went on regular runs. That's where he also met Harmander Singh, who later became his coach and his journey as a runner shot to international fame when Adidas signed him for their 2004 Impossible is Nothing advertising campaign, which also featured legends such as Muhammad BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
