'He inspired youth on fitness': PM Modi pays tribute to marathon runner Fauja Singh; calls him 'extraordinary'

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday paid tribute to veteran marathon runner Fauja Singh, 114, who was killed in a road accident in Punjab.

"Fauja Singh Ji was extraordinary because of his unique persona and the manner in which he inspired the youth of India on a very important topic of fitness. He was an exceptional athlete with incredible determination. Pained by his passing away. My thoughts are with his family and countless admirers around the world," PM Modi wrote on X.

Singh, who was born on April 1, 1911, was an amateur runner in his young days, but later gave it up. He began running again to overcome grief after the death of his fifth son, Kuldip Singh, in August 1994, when he was already 83 years old.

However, it was only in 2000, when Singh, then aged 89, took up running seriously. He completed the London Marathon the same year and shot to fame.

In October 2011, he became the oldest person to complete a full marathon, by finishing the 2011 Toronto Waterfront Marathon at the age of 100.

A British national, Singh was also known as the "Turbaned Tornado."