Police in India have arrested a man who allegedly rammed his car into a British national believed to be the oldest marathon runner.
Fauja Singh died at the age of 114 after being hit by a car while trying to cross a road in his birth village Beas Pind, near Jalandhar district in the western state of Punjab on Monday.
The Punjab police reportedly arrested Amritpal Singh Dhillon, 33, on Tuesday night from his home in Jalandhar district. The suspect allegedly told the police that he was returning from Bhogpur town when the incident took place.
In their complaint, police said the vehicle was speeding and the driver fled the scene instead of taking Singh to the hospital after the accident. Police suggested his life might have been saved if he had been taken for treatment immediately.
The suspect purchased a white Toyota Fortuner from a Punjab local after arriving in India from Canada about eight days ago, the Hindustan Times reported.
Singh was on his way to a roadside eatery or a dhaba when the Fortuner struck him on Monday. Gurdeep Singh, who managed the eatery, told the Times of India that Singh used to eat at the dhaba every few days. Singh “had a simple meal and sat for tea. It was kind of a pilgrimage for him to be near his son’s photo,” he said.
“People would often take selfies with him. We were proud to have him here,” he added.
Born in pre-independence Punjab in April 1911, Singh was said to have suffered from thin and weak legs as a child. The youngest of four children in a farming family, he was unable to walk until he was five years old.
He moved to England and settled in Ilford, east London in 1992 with his son after the death of his wife Gian Kaur in Jalandhar.
It was not until 2000, aged 89, that he took up running, quickly rising to fame by completing his first marathon in London in six hours and 54 minutes – 58 minutes faster than the previous world’s best in the 90-plus age bracket.
He made his name by beating a number of records for marathon times in multiple age brackets, and the centenarian became an inspiration for countless athletes by running marathons past the age of 100.
His personal best came at the Toronto marathon in 2003, where he ran the course in just five hours 40 minutes.
He then became the first centenarian to run a marathon eight years later and retired at the age of 101, after being a torchbearer for the London 2012 Olympics.
Harmander Singh, Fauja Singh’s coach at Sikhs In The City, said the club will be devoting all of its events until March next year to celebrate Singh’s life and achievements. It asked mourners to donate to his clubhouse appeal rather than buy flowers.
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi in his tribute said Singh was “extraordinary because of his unique persona and the manner in which he inspired the youth of India on a very important topic of fitness”.
“He was an exceptional athlete with incredible determination. Pained by his passing away. My thoughts are with his family and countless admirers around the world,” he posted on X.
Labour MP Preet Kaur Gill also paid tribute to the runner, posting on X: “Saddened to hear about the passing of Fauja Singh.
“I had the honour of meeting him. A truly inspiring man. His discipline, simple living, and deep humility left a lasting mark on me. A reminder that age is just a number, but attitude is everything. Rest in power, legend.”
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