Khaberni -The British Indian athlete Fauja Singh, who is believed to be the oldest marathon runner in the world, died at the age of 114 after being hit by a car in India.
The Indian police reported that an unidentified car hit Singh while he was crossing the road in his birth village in the Punjab region, and he died in the hospital after being transferred there.
Singh, a global icon in marathon races, set records in multiple age categories, continuing to race even after he surpassed the age of 100.
Singh began his sports career in running at the age of 89 and participated in nine full marathon races between 2000 and 2013, until he retired.
Fauja Singh was unable to issue a birth certificate for himself, but his family insists he was born on April 1, 1911, when India was still part of the British Empire.
Singh participated in full marathons «42.195 km» until he was a hundred years old. His last race was a 10 km distance in the Hong Kong marathon in 2013, which he finished in one hour, 32 minutes, and 28 seconds.
The bearded man wearing a turban became globally famous after he started long-distance running at the age of 89, following the death of his wife and one of his sons, and was inspired by watching marathon races on television.
Singh carried the Olympic torch in Athens 2004 and London 2012, and appeared in advertisements with sports stars like the Englishman David Beckham and the American boxer Muhammad Ali.
