'Turbaned Torpedo' Fauja Singh, world's oldest marathon runner, dies at 114 after being hit by car

The "Turbaned Torpedo" Fauja Singh, believed to be the world's oldest marathon runner, died at 114 after being hit by a car in India.

According to local media in India, Singh sustained severe head injuries in a hit-and-run car accident on Monday while he was crossing the road in his native village near Jalandhar in Punjab, The Associated Press reported. He died after being taken to a hospital. Sikhs In The City, Singh's London-based running club and charity, confirmed his death.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Singh 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,” Modi added. “Pained by his passing away. My thoughts are with his family and countless admirers around the world.”

In Toronto in 2011, at age 100, Singh became the oldest man to run a full marathon. Guinness World Records didn't recognize his accomplishment because he didn't have a birth certificate to prove his age. Singh's British passport said his date of birth was April 1, 1911, while a letter from Indian government officials stated that birth records were not kept in 1911.

Singh was a torchbearer for the 2012 London Olympics, after taking up running when he was 89, following the deaths of his wife and one of his sons in India. Afterward, he moved to London to live with his youngest son, where he began running.

He ran his first marathon in London in 2000 at age 89, then did eight more marathons. The 2003 Toronto Marathon was his best time, at 5 hours and 40 minutes. His last competitive race was in 2013 at the age of 101 in Hong Kong's 10-kilometer race.