Fauja Singh, a British Indian-born athlete believed to be the world's oldest marathon runner, has died at the age of 114 after being hit by a car in his native village in Punjab, media reports say.

Singh, who claimed to be born in 1911, came to fame when he completed the 42.2 km (26.2 mile) Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 2011, becoming the first 100-year-old to finish such an event.

The 'Turbaned Tornado'

"My 'Turbaned Tornado' is no more," Singh's biographer Khushwant Singh wrote in a post on the platform X on Monday.

"He was struck by an unidentified vehicle around 3:30 PM today in his village, [Beas Pind], while crossing the road. Rest in peace, my dear Fauja," Singh wrote.

Beas Pind lies near the city of Jalandhar in western Punjab state.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also posted condolences on X, saying: "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." 

Police told local media that they were trying to identify the vehicle.  

Fauja Singh reportedly sustained severe head injuries in the accident, of which he later died in hospital.

Running to fight off grief

Singh took up running marathons at the age of 89 in a bid to ward off the grief caused by the deaths of his wife and a son in quick succession in India.

Following the deaths, he went to live in London with his youngest son, where he participated in athletic events organized by the Sikh community before deciding that marathons were his thing.

In 2000 he ran the London Marathon, his first, and went on to do eight more. His best time was in Toronto in 2003, where he clocked 5 hours and 40 minutes.

He ran his last competitive race in 2013 at the age of 101, finishing the Hong Kong Marathon's 10-kilometer (6.25-mile) race in 1 hour, 32 minutes, 28 seconds.

A year prior to that, he was a torchbearer for the 2012 London Olympics.

No Guinness recognition

Singh's feat of completing the 2011 Toronto marathon at 100 was not recognized by the Guinness Book of Records because he had no birth certificate to prove his age, though his British passport showed his date of birth as April 1, 1911. 

Indian government officials have stated in a letter that India did not keep birth records back in 1911.

Following his retirement from racing, Singh said he hoped "people will remember me and not forget me."

He said he also wanted people to continue to invite him to events "rather than forget me altogether just because I don't run anymore."

Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah