On Monday, July 14th, Fauja Singh, believed to be the oldest person in the world to have completed a full marathon and the first centenarian, passed away near his hometown in Punjab, India at the age of 114. Singh claimed to have been born in 1911 and, at the age of 100 in 2011, he completed the Toronto Waterfront Marathon. In 2003, he achieved his personal best time of 5 hours and 40 minutes in the same event.
Reports from the media in 2011 mentioned that due to the lack of a birth certificate (India did not have a birth registration system in 1911), he was not officially recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records. Singh’s biographer, Khushwant Singh, posted on a social media platform on Monday, “My ‘turbaned tornado’ is no more.”
“At around 3:30 pm this afternoon, he was hit by an unidentified vehicle while crossing the road in his village of Biaas. Rest in peace, my dear Fauja,” the biographer wrote. Authorities informed local media that they are working to identify the vehicle which fled the scene after the incident.
Singh started out as an amateur runner in his youth and later settled in London where, at the age of 89, he began competitive running. He completed several full marathons and participated in a 10 km race before retiring in 2013.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on the social media platform on Tuesday, “He was an extraordinary athlete with amazing perseverance. His passing is heartbreaking. My thoughts are with his family and countless admirers around the world.”
(This article referenced reporting from Reuters)