Fauja Singh’s incredible journey: The ‘Turbaned Tornado’ who conquered marathons

Fauja Singh died in a car accident. (Photo: X)

The demise of Fauja Singh, the oldest marathon runner in the world, was lamented by the whole Indian sports community. After being in a car accident on Monday, the 114-year-old passed away. He was struck by a car on the Jalandhar-Pathankot highway on Monday afternoon, according to a BBC Punjabi report.

Singh was taken to the hospital right away after suffering a severe head injury. But he passed away due to the injuries. As India lost an icon who was regarded as an inspiration for the masses, condolences began to come in from all around the nation.

Fauja, also referred to as the "Turbaned Tornado," was born in Beyas village, Jalandhar, Punjab, on April 1, 1911. Fauja was born even before World War I, therefore he witnessed many significant events during his lifetime. His life was dramatically upended by the partition of India in 1947, which was the biggest and darkest period.

He moved to England in the 1990s to live with one of his sons. Fauja debuted at the London Marathon in 2000 at the age of 89. After that, he attracted everyone's attention by participating in international marathons in Toronto, New York, and other cities for people his age.

A few years ago, he was featured with David Beckham and Muhammad Ali in an advertisement for a big sports brand. He was also a torchbearer at the 2004 Athens Games and the 2012 London Olympics.

With "101 and running" as its theme, Malaysia hosted the 2nd Annual Chardikala Run in 2012. During the closing ceremony, Fauja was honored on stage with the BrandLaureate Award, which was an homage to his amazing accomplishments.

When Fauja ran the Hong Kong Marathon in 2013, he finished in 1 hour, 32 minutes, and 28 seconds. At the age of 102, he subsequently declared his retirement from running. He nevertheless persisted in jogging for his health and philanthropic reasons.