Man who killed World's Oldest Marathoner arrested

Indian authorities have arrested the alleged perpetrator in the fatal hit-and-run of Fauja Singh, the world's oldest marathoner. Singh, 114, succumbed to injuries sustained while walking in Punjab, where he resided.

"We identified the vehicle thanks to CCTV footage and headlight fragments recovered at the scene. The car has changed ownership several times," stated Harvinder Singh, Jalandhar police superintendent, explaining that the vehicle was located after reviewing surveillance camera footage.

The 114-year-old Singh, known as the "Turbaned Tornado," was struck in the northern Indian state of Punjab while on a walk near his native village of Bias. Local media report that he might have survived if the 26-year-old driver had taken him immediately to a hospital.

Singh gained international fame when Adidas featured him in their 2004 "Impossible is Nothing" advertising campaign, alongside legends like Muhammad Ali. Between 2000 and 2011, he completed nine marathons.

The Indian made his marathon debut at the 2000 London Marathon, entering at the age of 89. He ran London six times, with his best time of 6:02:43 achieved in 2003 at age 92. His charisma and determination made him a unique figure in global sports.

The boy who couldn't walk until he was five even carried the Olympic torch at the London 2012 Games.

Having started running at 89 in the UK, where he lived, Singh achieved global fame in 2011 upon completing the Toronto Waterfront Marathon (8:25:17) at age 100, although this record remains unofficial due to the lack of a birth certificate.

The BBC has reported that Singh's British passport listed his birthdate as April 1, 1911, and that he had a letter from Queen Elizabeth II congratulating him on his 100th birthday.

However, Guinness World Records maintains that without a birth certificate, they cannot validate the records, despite the argument that birth certificates were not issued in India in 1911.

"Everyone dies, so it's better to die doing something we enjoy," said Singh, when he confirmed that his sixth appearance in the London Marathon, in 2012, would be his last.

Singh also ran the Lisbon Half Marathon in 2006, aged 94, with his running group, the Sikh Runners, a religiously affiliated team of 20 athletes, all over 70, who accompanied him in major international races.

That year, he also participated in the New York City Marathon (7:34:37) and achieved his best marathon time (5:40:04) in Toronto. "In my youth, I didn't even know the word 'marathon' existed," he once recounted, recalling growing up without any formal schooling or sports, living as a farmer through two World Wars and the turbulent partition of India.

He last ran a marathon in London in 2012, finishing in 7:49:21. His last race was the 10k event at the Hong Kong Marathon in February 2013.

"If I stop training and running, I think my health will deteriorate, and I will die. I simply can't stay still. I still enjoy running and walking six to ten kilometers once a week to stay in shape. That's what keeps me going," he said at the time.

His energy and longevity were attributed to regular consumption of laddu, a local sweet, and buttermilk.