The Prince of All Saiyans
Formerly Jisoo Stan & @Twitter
a god damn carParamjit Dhillon will never forget the moment he first met Fauja Singh.
It was in 2003 when Dhillon was introduced to Singh through Alan Brookes, the race director of the Toronto Waterfront Marathon. Brookes had invited Singh – a celebrity in the United Kingdom for having just run a marathon at the age of 92 – to the then-unestablished event, unsure if he’d be willing to make the trip.
Singh was up for it, but with no knowledge of English, he needed a guide.
“We initially said no, he’s a celebrity in the U.K., you should put him with a bigger charity,” Dhillon, a member of the volunteer-run Guru Gobind Singh Children’s Foundation (GGSCF) in the Scarborough area of Toronto, told Global News.
“But Alan said he wants to be with people he can talk to, have a laugh with and feel like he’s not away from home.”
So the two connected, and what would unfold in the days, weeks, months and years afterwards would lead to Singh becoming the oldest man to run a full marathon during the 2011 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon.
‘He inspired so many of us’
Nicknamed the “Turban Torpedo,” the 114-year-old Singh died Monday after being hit by a car while crossing the road at his native village near Jalandhar in Punjab.
Local media in India reported that Singh sustained severe head injuries in the hit-and-run collision. He was taken to the hospital, where he later died.
Though his 2011 run was not recognized by Guinness World Records because he did not have a birth certificate, his accomplishment cemented his status as a running icon – and helped build a connection with Toronto that goes far beyond that moment of glory.
sorry for yr loss, nap
Man could easily live another 5+ years. RIP to him. Of all ways to finally go!
