Fauja Singh, who was believed to be the oldest marathon runner and the first 100 -year -old to complete a full marathon, died after being killed by a vehicle on Monday.
Singh was killed by crossing the road in his original village in Beas Pind near Punjab, India. He was 114 years old.
The Indian media report said that Singh died in a local hospital. Police said the vehicle fled from the scene, although efforts are being made to identify and find the vehicle.
Singh’s long -time coach, “It is completely sad that I can confirm the powerhouse of our icon and positivity of humanity and positivity Fauja Singh has passed away,” Hermander Singh wrote in a social media post.
“We will double the efforts to raise funds for the construction of Fauja Singh Clubhouse on the route in Ellford, where he trained.”
Singh was an amateur runner in his youth and started running competitively when he was 89 years old. He ran several marathon races between 2000 and 2013 years, when he eventually retired.
“I was never a runner,” Singh said in an interview with Omni News in 2011, “What I used to do was farming so I could feed my children.”
Singh attracted attention around the world in 2011, when he made headlines for his competitive walk at the age of 100. He was recorded as the first century and oldest person to complete a full marathon by the Olympics, and the same year, he completed the Toronto Waterfront Marathon. The surname, “Turban Tornado, was a flashlight for the London 2012 Olympics.
Brampton Marathon recalled Singh’s message of health and perseverance in a statement.
“Fauja Singh was more than a runner, he was a movement,” the statement said, “His story reminded us and the world that it was never late to take a meaningful first step.”
Singh raced after his wife and son suddenly died. He was originally from India, but later came to England, where he said that his life took a turn, defined it as “rebirth”.
Running Singh did not easily come. In fact, he said that his parents worked about the ability to walk as a child.
Singh before setting his record in Toronto in 2011, Singh said, “My parents got me treated and I started walking at the age of five. Even after that, I could not take a long walk. It was at the age of 15, when I felt a little power in my feet,” Singh said before setting his record in Toronto in 2011.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid his tribute to Singh, stating that he was “extraordinary”.
“He inspired the youth of India on a very important subject of fitness,” Modi wrote social media“He was an extraordinary athlete with incredible determination.”
Despite his achievements, Singh was never included in the Guinness Book of World Records as he did not have a birth certificate, and his age could not be verified. India has said that birth certificates were not kept in 1911.