Author Topic: Fauja Singh (Read 5663 times)

Pj Sarpanch · « **on:** July 28, 2012, 07:21:00 AM »

Sardar Fauja Singh

Fauja Singh (born 1 April 1911) is a British centenarian marathon runner of Punjabi Sikh origin. He is a world record holder in his age bracket. His current personal best time for the London Marathon (2003) is 6 hours 2 minutes, and his marathon record, for age 90-plus, is 5 hours 40 minutes, at the age of 92, at the 2003 Toronto Waterfront Marathon.
Singh has stated, "I won't stop running until I die. The next target, God willing, is to be the oldest marathon runner ever."and, "At the time when people start retiring, I thought of running at the age of 63...and today I won the marathon at 93 years of age."[citation needed]
In 2004, Singh was featured in an advertising campaign for sportswear manufacturer Adidas alongside David Beckham and Muhammad Ali.
Singh holds UK records for the 200 m, 400 m, 800 m, mile and 3000 m for his age group, records all set within a single 94 minute period.
At the age of 100 (and a half), Singh attempted and accomplished eight world age group records in one day, at the special Ontario Masters Association Fauja Singh Invitational Meet, held at Birchmount Stadium in Toronto, Ontario Canada. Timed by officials in Canada, He ran the 100 metres in 23.14, 200 metres in 52.23, the 400 metres in 2:13.48, the 800 metres in 5:32.18, the 1500 metres in 11:27.81, the mile in 11:53.45, the 3000 metres in 24:52.47 and the 5000 metres in 49:57.39. Each time bested the previous record in that age division (some events had no previous record holder, as nobody over age 100 had ever attempted to run the distance). Some of his marks are significantly superior to the listed world record in the M95 age group as well.
Three days later, on 16 October 2011, Singh became the first 100 year old to complete a marathon, running the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 8:11:06. As it took him over 14 minutes after the gun to cross the starting line, the official time submitted for the age group record will be 8:25:17. However, Guinness World Records refused to include Singh in its record book due to the fact that he could not produce his birth certificate to prove his age. Birth records were not kept in India in 1911. He was able to produce a passport listing his date of birth as 1 April 1911, and a letter from Queen Elizabeth II congratulating him on his 100th birthday.
In October 2011, Singh, a vegetarian, became the oldest man to be featured in a PETA campaign. In July 2012, Fauja Singh carried the Olympic torch.

Biography

Fauja Singh was born in Beas Pind, Jalandhar, Punjab, British India on 1 April 1911. Not much is known about his early life. He lived with his wife in his village in Jalandhar, and moved to London in 1992 to live with his son after his wife’s death. He speaks only Punjabi and cannot read or write.[2][18] The death of his son Kuldip and earlier of his wife forced him to search for a worthwhile alternative in life. Fauja's jogging skills were developed on an Indian farm in Punjab, and then at the age of 81, after moving to the UK, his love for the sport became more "serious".[1] In London, he started running by challenging other old-agers to race him. Gradually he moved on to longer distances.
At 89 years, he took seriously to running and ended up in international marathon events. When he first turned up for training at Redbridge, Essex, he was dressed in a three-piece suit. The coach had to rework everything, including his dress. Singh ran his first race, the London Marathon, in 2000.[18] According to his coach, he used to run up to 20 kilometres easily and wanted to run a marathon, thinking it to be just 26 kilometres and not 26 miles (42 kilometres). It was after he realised this that he began training seriously.[19]
Singh shot to fame when, at the age of 89, he completed the gruelling 26.2 mile distance in 6 hours and 54 minutes. This knocked 58 minutes off the previous world best for anyone in the 90-plus age bracket.
Singh is 172 cm (5ft8in) tall and weighs 52 kg (115 lb). He attributes his physical fitness and longevity to abstaining from smoking and alcohol and to following a simple vegetarian diet. He has been quoted as saying "I am very careful about different foods. My diet is simple phulka, dal, green vegetables, yogurt and milk. I do not touch parathas, pakoras, rice or any other fried food. I take lots of water and tea with ginger. ... I go to bed early taking the name of my Rabba as I don’t want all those negative thoughts crossing my mind."
Speaking about the marathon, he said: "The first 20 miles are not difficult. As for last six miles, I run while talking to God."


Fauja Singh's Exclusive 100th Birthday Interview


Exclusive Video Fauja Singh Olympics 2012 torch relay by APS Mann

Author Topic: Fauja Singh (Read 5663 times)

Pj Sarpanch

Fauja Singh

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