Cult marathon runner "Turban Tornado" dies in car accident at 114

Fauja Singh was considered the oldest active long-distance runner – now the Briton has died at the age of 114 in a road accident in his native India. "My turban tornado is no more," wrote his biographer Khushwant Singh on the platform X. It was with great sadness that he announced the death of his friend. Singh was hit by an initially unidentified vehicle while crossing the road in his village of Bias.

Singh suffered a "severe head injury" in a traffic accident, reported Indian broadcaster NDTV. He was taken to a hospital and died on Monday evening (local time). According to Indian media reports, he was 114 years old.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Singh as an "exceptional athlete with incredible determination." He said he had inspired India's youth "on the very important topic of fitness." Modi said he was saddened by his death.

Singh was considered an unusual runner, running his first marathon at the age of 89. With his turban and long beard, he was always a welcome and eye-catching participant at running events around the world.

At the age of 100, he ran the 42.195-kilometer marathon in Toronto, Canada, in a time of 8 hours and 11 minutes. This made him the oldest marathon runner in history. However, the Guinness Book of Records does not recognize his record because he was unable to present a birth certificate, only a passport.

Singh says he was born on April 1, 1911, in the Indian state of Punjab, on what is now the border with Pakistan. He grew up there as the son of a farmer. When he was 84 and his eldest son died in an accident, he moved to England and began walking. He regularly visited his village.

In 2012, to the cheers of thousands, he carried the Olympic flame through London as one of the torchbearers. He competed in his last running competition in Hong Kong in 2013 at the age of 101.