By Victor Kanayo
World’s oldest marathon runner, Fauja Singh, has died in a car accident, aged 114.
Consequently, police in India have arrested a man in connection with his death in a hit-and-run case.
According to the police, the accused, Amritpal Singh Dhillon, was driving a speeding SUV when he struck the British-Indian runner.
Singh sustained critical injuries and died shortly after being taken to hospital.
The incident took place in the northern state of Punjab on Monday, where Singh was out on his afternoon walk.
Singh, a global icon, set records by running marathons across multiple age categories, including when he was over 100. He began running at 89 and ran nine full marathons between 2000 and 2013, when he retired.
A white-coloured SUV, allegedly used in the incident, has also been recovered by the police.
The hit-and-run occurred near Fauja Singh’s birth village of Beas Pind, close to Jalandhar city.
Police said Singh was crossing a road when he was struck by a vehicle. Locals took him to hospital, where he later died.
According to Indian media reports citing the police complaint, the runner’s life might have been saved had the 26-year-old driver immediately taken Singh to the hospital.
