BY OSABUOHIEN VIVIAN ROSE
Veteran marathon runner, Fauja Singh, who was still competing after turning 100, died in a hit-and-run on Monday, according to Indian authorities. He was 114.
His demise was confirmed by author Khushwant Singh, who spoke to Fauja Singh’s family members. “My Turbaned Tornado is no more. It is with great sadness that I share the passing of my most revered S. Fauja Singh. He was struck by an unidentified vehicle around 3:30 pm today in his village, Bias, while crossing the road. Rest in peace, my dear Fauja,” Khushwant posted on X.
Khushwant Singh, who authored Fauja Singh’s biography The Turbaned Tornado, added that the veteran runner was taken to a private hospital in Jalandhar, where he succumbed to injuries.
SHO Hardeep Singh of Adampur Police Station said that Fauja Singh’s son had informed the police following the incident. Investigation teams soon reached the location.
According to Indian police, an unknown vehicle hit Singh when he was walking on a road near his native village of Beas, in the north-western Indian state of Punjab.
He was sent to the Srimann Hospital in Jalandhar district where he succumbed to injuries sustained to his head and ribs, Jalandhar Rural Senior Superintendent of Police Harvinder Singh Virk said.
“We are working on identifying the vehicle. We are using CCTV footage in the area to trace the vehicle and have dispatched teams that are working on it,” the police said, saying someone witnessed the accident.
India Prime Minister Narendra Modi led nationwide tributes, calling Singh “an exceptional athlete with incredible determination.”
Singh started running marathons when he was 89, after he moved to England following the death of his wife and son.
“Running showed me kindness and brought me back to life by making me forget all my traumas and sorrows,” he told CNN in an interview when he was 102.
He ran his first marathon after just a couple of months of training, and achieved his personal best of five hours and 40 minutes at the 2003 Toronto Waterfront Marathon three years later.
In 2011, Singh returned to Toronto, where he became the first centenarian on record to complete a marathon, finishing in eight hours and 11 minutes and six seconds.
It was a far cry from his humble childhood in India, when he was unable to walk until he was five due to weakness in his legs.
His last race was in Hong Kong, a 10-kilometer route, in 2013, one year after carrying the torch for the 2012 London Olympics.
Despite his success, his achievements were never accepted by Guinness World Records’ rule-keepers due to his lack of a birth certificate.
