Fauja Singh, the world’s oldest marathon runner and an iconic British Sikh athlete of Indian origin, died at age 114 after being struck by a speeding vehicle while walking near his home in Beas village, Punjab. The incident occurred around 3:30 pm on the Jalandhar-Pathankot highway. Despite being rushed to a nearby hospital, Singh succumbed to his injuries at approximately 8:00 pm, his son Harbinder Singh confirmed.
Born on April 1, 1911, in Beas Pind, Jalandhar, Singh overcame childhood health issues and later moved to East London in 1992. He began running at age 89 to cope with personal loss and went on to become a global sensation, setting numerous age-group world records.
In 2011, at age 100, Singh made history by setting eight world records in one day at a meet in Toronto, including completing the 100m in 23.14 seconds. Days later, he became the first centenarian to finish a marathon, completing the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 8 hours and 11 minutes, though Guinness World Records did not recognize the feat due to the lack of a birth certificate.
Singh ran marathons in London, New York, Toronto, and Mumbai, with a personal best of 5 hours and 40 minutes at age 92. He retired from competitive running at 101 after a 10 km run in Hong Kong.
Known as the ‘Turbaned Tornado,’ Singh was also honoured for his advocacy of racial harmony and Sikh culture, receiving the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2003 and serving as a torchbearer at the 2012 London Olympics. A vegetarian and philanthropist, he supported several charities and appeared in global campaigns alongside icons like David Beckham and Muhammad Ali.
His life was chronicled in the 2011 biography Turbaned Tornado by Khushwant Singh, and a biopic titled Fauja was announced in 2021. Singh leaves behind a legacy of resilience, inspiration, and global recognition for elder athleticism and Sikh identity.
