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Man arrested in connection with the death of 114-year-old marathon runner

Man arrested in connection with the death of 114-year-old marathon runner

ITV News4 days ago
Police in India have arrested a man in connection with the death of Fauja Singh, the 114-year-old British runner, who died in a hit-and-run accident on Monday.
Singh is believed to have been the oldest person to ever complete a marathon and did not even begin running until he was 89.
He was hit by a car while crossing a road near his birth village of Beas Pind in Punjab earier this week and suffered severe head injuries.
He was taken to hospital but died soon after.
Local media organisation NDTV reported a 26-year-old man had been arrested under suspicion of driving the Toyota Frontrunner that hit Mr Singh.
The outlet named him as Amritpal Singh Dhillon, a Canadian resident who was visiting his home region of Punjab at the time of the accident.
There has been an outpouring of tributes from both India and the UK for Mr Singh since his death was announced on Tuesday.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Mr 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.'
'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.'
Preet Kaur Gill MP said 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.'
Singh became the oldest man to run a full marathon in 2011 at the age of 100 in Toronto.
His accomplishment was not recognised 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.
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.
He went to live with his youngest son in London. That's where sports enthusiast Singh attended tournaments organised 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
'From a tragedy has come a lot of success and happiness,' Singh, who was a torchbearer for the 2012 London Olympics, said.
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