Fauja Singh, unofficially known as the world’s oldest marathon runner, passed away on Monday. His former coach reports to The New York Times that Singh was hit by a car during his daily morning walk in his native village in India.
Singh ran marathons until a very old age. His first was in 2000 in London, when he claimed to be 89 years old. In 2011, he set several world records for people aged 95 and over.
He also became the first centenarian to complete a full marathon. In Toronto, he took 8 hours, 25 minutes and 16 seconds to complete the classic distance. He ran his last race in 2013.
Singh’s precise age has always remained unconfirmed, as he had no documents proving his date of birth. Because he could not provide a birth certificate, his records have never been officially recognized. He did, however, receive the nickname ‘Turban Tornado’. As a practicing Sikh, Singh always wore a turban, even while running.
Singh himself stated that he was born on April 1, 1911. That would mean that he was 114 years old at the time of his death. In 1911, birth certificates were not issued in India.
Achievements were extraordinary according to former coach
In the 1990s, he emigrated to England and obtained British nationality. In 2011, Singh received a telegram from Queen Elizabeth to congratulate him on his supposed hundredth birthday. Five years later, he received another telegram when he was said to have turned 105. In 2020, he wrote in the foreword of a children’s book that he was 108 years old.
Even for his coach, Singh’s exact age always remained a mystery. But according to Harmander Singh (no relation), that doesn’t matter to him, because Singh’s old age was beyond dispute. “It’s good enough for me. What he has achieved is extraordinary.”