World's 'oldest' marathon runner dies at 114 in hit-and-run
Police say Singh was crossing a road in the village where he was born in Punjab when an unidentified vehicle hit him. Locals took him to hospital, where he died.
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.
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.
The hit and run happened on Monday as the centenarian was walking in his birth village, Beas Pind, near Jalandhar.
"A search is under way, and the accused will be caught soon," said Harvinder Singh, a top district police officer.As news of the death broke, tributes poured in.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called him an "exceptional athlete with incredible determination".Harmander Singh, Fauja Singh's coach at Sikhs In The City, confirmed his death in a statement posted to the running club.The statement said: "It is with great sadness that we can confirm our icon of humanity and powerhouse of positivity Fauja Singh has passed away in India."His running club and charity Sikhs In The City will be devoting all of its events until the Fauja Singh Birthday Challenge on Sunday 29 March 2026 to celebrate his life of success and achievements."We will be doubling the efforts to raise funds to building the Fauja Singh Clubhouse on the route in Ilford where he used to train."When the BBC met Singh in June in Beas Pind, he was agile and active, walking several miles every day."I still go for walks around the village to keep my legs strong. A person has to take care of his own body," he said.A torchbearer for the 2012 London Olympics, Singh clocked several milestones during his running career, including reportedly becoming the first centenarian to complete a full marathon in 2011 in Toronto.However, his claim of being the world's oldest marathon runner was not recognised by Guinness World Records as he could not show a birth certificate from 1911. The BBC reported at the time 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.His trainer, Harmander Singh, said that birth certificates were not made in India at the time Singh was born.Guinness World Records officials said they would have loved "to give him the record", but that they could only "accept official birth documents created in the year of the birth".As a young boy growing up in Punjab, Singh was teased by people in his village as his legs were weak and he could not 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.Before he turned 40, Singh, a farmer, had lived through the turbulence of both the World Wars and experienced the trauma of Partition."In my youth, I didn't even know the word 'marathon' existed," Singh told BBC Punjabi. "I never went to school, nor was I involved in any kind of sports. I was a farmer and spent most of my life in the fields."He first took to running to cope with grief.After the death of his wife Gian Kaur in the early 1990s, he moved to London to live with his eldest son Sukhjinder. But during a visit to India, he witnessed his younger son Kuldeep's death in an accident which left him devastated.Overtaken by grief, Singh would spend hours sitting near the spot where his son had been cremated. Concerned villagers advised his family to take him back to the UK.Back in Ilford in London, during one of his visits to the gurdwara, Singh met a group of elderly men who would go on runs together. He also met Harmander Singh, who would go on to become his coach."Had I not met Harmander Singh, I wouldn't have got into marathon running," he said in June.Singh made his debut at the London Marathon in 2000, a month shy of turning 89. He participated through a Golden Bond entry - a system where charities pre-purchase a fixed number of spots for a fee. He chose to run for BLISS, a charity that supports premature infants. His tagline: "Oldest running for the youngest! May they live as long as him."Singh says that before the run, he was told by event officials that he could only wear a patka (headgear worn by many Sikh boys and men) and not a turban."I refused to run without my turban. Eventually, the organisers allowed me to run with it, and for me, that's my biggest achievement," he said.He finished the race in six hours and 54 minutes, marking the beginning of a remarkable journey.By his third successive appearance at the London marathon, he had shaved off nine minutes from his previous best.In 2003, at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon, he bettered his timing by an astonishing one hour and five minutes, completing the race in five hours and 40 minutes."I don't remember my timings; it is my coach, Harmander Singh, who keeps the record of all my timings. But whatever I have achieved is all because of his training, and I sincerely followed his schedule," Singh said in June."In London, he used to make me run uphill, and because of that, I kept on improving," he added. "Almost after every training session in London, I used to go to the gurdwara, where my diet was taken care of. Everyone there motivated me to run long distances."Singh shot to international fame in 2003 when Adidas signed him for their Nothing Is Impossible advertising campaign which also featured legends such as Muhammad Ali.In 2005, he was invited by the then Prime Minister of Pakistan to participate in the inaugural Lahore Marathon. A year later, in 2006, he received a special invitation from Queen Elizabeth II to visit Buckingham Palace.Among the many mementos and certificates displayed at Singh's home in Punjab is a framed photograph of him with the Queen.He continued to compete in marathons well into his 100s and earned the nickname "Turbaned Tornado". Most of his earnings from endorsements went directly to charitable foundations."I was the same Fauja Singh before I entered the world of running - but running gave my life a mission and brought me global recognition," he recalled.In 2013, he participated in his last long-distance competitive race in Hong Kong, completing a 10km run in one hour, 32 minutes and 28 seconds.He credited his health and longevity to a simple lifestyle and disciplined diet."Eating less, running more, and staying happy - that is the secret behind my longevity. This is my message to everyone," he said in June.In his final years, Singh divided his time between India, where his younger son lives, and the UK.When the BBC met him in June, he was hoping to visit London again soon to meet his family and coach.British MP Preet Kaur Gill shared a photo of herself with him on X, writing: "A truly inspiring man. His discipline, simple living, and deep humility left a lasting mark on me."Jas Athwal MP said Singh "inspired millions across the world". He wrote on X: "His spirit and legacy of resilience will run on forever." — BBC
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Saudi Gazette
9 hours ago
- Saudi Gazette
Palestine Red Crescent says Israeli strike on Gaza HQ kills worker, injures three
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) accused Israeli forces on Sunday of striking its headquarters in southern Gaza, killing one worker and wounding three others. In a statement, the humanitarian group said the early morning attack on its Khan Younis facility sparked a fire in the building, which is 'well known' to the Israeli military and 'clearly marked with the protective red emblem.' It called the strike 'deliberate' and renewed its appeal for accountability and protection of humanitarian and medical staff. The PRCS identified the slain worker as Omar Isleem and said two other staff members were injured, along with a civilian who was attempting to put out the fire. Images shared by the group showed heavy structural damage, debris-filled offices and large bloodstains. When asked about the incident, the Israel Defense Forces told the BBC it had 'no knowledge about neither artillery nor any air strikes' targeting the facility. The attack comes as Gaza's humanitarian crisis deepens. UN figures indicate that at least 1,373 Palestinians have been killed since late May while trying to access food, most near Israeli and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution sites. Israel disputes the UN's figures and accuses Hamas of fomenting chaos at the aid centres, while denying that its forces intentionally target civilians. Egyptian state media reported Sunday that two fuel trucks were waiting to enter Gaza amid ongoing shortages that have crippled hospitals and aid operations. The Hamas-run health ministry says 175 people, including 93 children, have died from malnutrition. Israel launched its Gaza campaign after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. Since then, more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza's health ministry. — BBC
Saudi Gazette
3 days ago
- Saudi Gazette
Iran drives out 1.5 million Afghans, with some branded spies for Israel
SINGAPORE — Ali Ahmad's eyes fill with tears as he lifts his shirt to show deep bruises across his back. While he was detained, Iranian officers struck him and accused him of spying, he says. "They used hoses, water pipes and wooden boards to beat me. They treated us like animals." He was speaking to the BBC earlier this month at Islam Qala on the two countries' border, before crossing back over to Afghanistan. His name has been changed to protect his identity. Iran, which says it hosts more than four million undocumented Afghans who fled conflict in their homeland, has been stepping up deportations for months. In March those without papers were given a July deadline to depart voluntarily, but since a brief war with Israel in June, the authorities have forcibly returned hundreds of thousands of Afghans, alleging national security concerns. Daily returns peaked at about 50,000 people in early July, according to the United Nations – often after arduous journeys. Ali Ahmad says Iranian officials confiscated his money and phone and left him without "a single penny to travel back". He'd lived in Iran for two and a half crackdown has coincided with widespread accusations linking Afghans to Israel's intelligence agency Mossad, including Iranian media reports that cite police sources claiming some individuals were arrested for espionage."We're afraid to go anywhere, constantly worried that we might be labelled as spies," one person, who wished to remain anonymous, told BBC News Afghan."You Afghans are spies", "You work for Israel" or "You build drones in your homes", are other frequent accusations, according to this Rubin, an expert on Afghanistan who served as senior adviser to the US Department of State, says Tehran may be "looking for scapegoats" for its shortcomings in the war against Israel."The Iranian government is very embarrassed by their security failures", which show Iran "was very thoroughly penetrated by Israeli intelligence", he says."So they had to find someone to blame."Critics also say the accusations of espionage are aimed at buying legitimacy for the government's plan to deport undocumented BBC attempted to contact the Iranian government but did not receive a response. The return of Afghan refugees "without tension and with respect for human rights... is a goal pursued at all levels", the state-backed Islamic Republic News Agency said on 18 Rezaee, whose name has also been changed, has a similar story to Ali the detention centre where he was held, about 15 Iranian officers physically harmed him and other deportees, Abdullah told the BBC at Islam Qala."Iranian police tore up my visa and passport and beat me severely. They accused me of being a spy."Abdullah says he'd only been in Iran two months before being detained, despite having a visa."They beat us with plastic batons and said: 'You're a spy, you're ruining our country'."The four days he was detained "felt like four years". He describes constant mistreatment, physical abuse and lack of online allegations of collaboration between Afghans and Israeli secret services started early in the 13 June, the day Israel attacked Iranian nuclear and military facilities, the government issued statements to the population, asking citizens to report suspicious activities such as unusual movements of vans, which might be transporting Israeli operatives' Telegram channels with large followings posted warning messages using similar wording to the government's. But they added that the population should be vigilant of "alien citizens" – an expression mostly used to describe Afghans in Iran – driving vans in big following day, a series of detentions of people allegedly connected to the Israeli attacks, including some Afghans, were 16 June, news channels broadcast a video of Afghans being detained claiming that they had been carrying drones with them. It went viral. But the video was old, and portrayed migrants detained due to their undocumented 18 June, a Telegram group attributed to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps posted that 18 Afghans had been arrested in the city of Mashhad for building drones for Israel, according to the independent monitoring group Afghan following day, the provincial deputy security chief was quoted saying the arrest had "no connection to drone-making" or co-operation with Israel. "They were arrested solely for being in Iran illegally."But posts connecting the arrests to espionage had spread widely on social media platforms. A hashtag saying the "expulsion of Afghans is a national demand" was shared more than 200,000 times on X in the space of a month, peaking at more than 20,000 mentions on 2 sentiment on Iranian social media is not new, but the difference this time is "the misinformation is not just coming from social media users but from Iranian-affiliated media", according to an independent researcher at Afghan conflict started when Israel attacked nuclear and military sites in Iran, and then Iran retaliated with aerial attacks targeting than 1.5 million Afghans have left Iran since January, according to the UN Refugee Agency. A spokesperson from the Taliban's Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation told the BBC that more than 918,000 Afghans entered Afghanistan from Iran between 22 June - 22 had been in Iran for of Afghans have fled to Iran and Pakistan since the 1970s, with major waves during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and more recently in 2021, when the Taliban returned to warn Afghanistan lacks the capacity to absorb the growing number of nationals forcibly returned to a country under Taliban rule. The country is already struggling with a large influx of returnees from Pakistan, which is also forcing hundreds of thousands of Afghans to first, Afghans were welcomed in Iran, says Dr Khadija Abbasi, who specialises in forced displacement at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London. But anti-Afghan sentiment increased gradually, with state media portraying Afghan refugees as an "economic burden" to society, she narratives about Afghan migrants in Iran followed the 1990s, a series of rapes and murders in Tehran was widely assumed, without evidence, to be the work of an Afghan, which led to a rise in hate crimes. It was later revealed that the killer was an estimated two million Afghans migrated to Iran in the post-2021 wave, exaggerated posts on social media claimed more than 10 million Afghans were living in the country. Iran had been the only neighbour to allow refugees and migrants to enter at scale during that of Afghans from Iran, says Dr Abbasi, "might be one of the very rare topics that most Iranians" are in agreement with the government – although in July more than 1,300 Iranian and Afghan activists signed an open letter calling for an end to "inhumane" treatment of Afghan citizens in anti-Afghan sentiment is widespread. "It has become very dangerous," she says, "so people will just try to stay at home."For huge numbers that is no longer an option. The border continues to swell with Abdullah the deportation has destroyed his plans."I lost everything," he says. — BBC
Saudi Gazette
3 days ago
- Saudi Gazette
Russian strikes hit Kyiv apartment block
KYIV — Eight people have been killed and more than 130 others were wounded in a barrage of Russian drones and missiles that struck several districts of Kyiv and brought down an apartment block overnight, Ukrainian officials have said. A six-year-old boy and his mother were among the dead, as more than two dozen locations across the capital were hit. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said 12 children were among the wounded - the biggest number of children wounded in Kyiv in one night since the full-scale war began. Russian attacks have continued despite US President Donald Trump's threat to impose tougher sanctions on Moscow if Vladimir Putin does not agree to a ceasefire by 8 August. The high-pitched hum of Russian drones could be heard for hours over the city, interrupted by the occasional loud thunder clap of a missile strike. Russia launched 309 drones and eight cruise missiles during the night, according to Ukraine's air force. And although officials say air defences did manage to destroy many of them, there were numerous hits including from cruise missiles. A red-orange glow indicated destruction on the ground. These were the biggest airstrikes since Trump brought forward an earlier deadline to Putin. The threat of more US sanctions appears to have done little to persuade the Russian president to change course. Meanwhile, Russia claimed further success on the battlefield, declaring that it had captured the strategically important hilltop town of Chasiv Yar in the eastern Donetsk region. Ukraine denied it had fallen, however, and military analysts said fighting there was continuing. — BBC
