Oldest living marathoner at 110

Fauja Singh, who is the oldest living marathon runner, was born on April 1, 1911 in Punjabi, India.  He did not walk until five years old as his legs were thin and weak and could hardly walk long distances.  Singh known as the “Sikh Superman“ and “Turbaned Tornado”, began  running  at 81 and at age 92, finished the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 5:40.  The following year, he finished the New York City Marathon.  Then in 2000, he completed the London Marathon in six hours and 54 minutes at age 95.  Singh is the world champion in his age group for the 200m, 400m, 800m and 3,000m.  Before he retired in 2013 at age 102, he ran in the 10K category of the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon, clocking 1:32:28 ( I ran The Hong Kong Marathon five times starting in 2003).  In 2015, Singh was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM).

BUDHIA SINGH (no relation to Fauja) ran his first marathon aged four and a half in Orisa, India.  He finished a 60km (ultra) race in 6 hours and 30 mins.

RUTH ROTHFARB who ran her first marathon at age 81, said she started running at age 72 because “I was tired of all the boring talk about funerals”.

SISTER MARION IRVINE, a 48-year old nun, hiding her 198 pounds and two daily cigarette packs under a starched white surplice, reluctantly began jogging.  Six years later, she was the oldest person ever to qualify for the US Olympic Trials.

ED WHITLOCK A retired engineer in his seventies who started running in his late Forties, ran perhaps the greatest performance in marathon history, clocking 2:54:49 at age 73.

Olympic facts

Basketball only made its debut in the 1936 Olympics and nobody was surprised when the US Team won the gold. However things did not look good when just before the competition, the International Basketball Federation decided to ban any players.  6’3” or taller (“puro gwardiya lang diay”). Fortunately, the ban which would have applied to only three American players, was quickly rescinded. 

Jessie Owens

an African-American shamed Adolf Hitler’s belief that the Germans (Aryan Race) was superior when he won four gold medals (100m,200m,4x100m relay and long jump) Hitler even refused to congratulate Owens.

Oliver Halassy

a water polo player from Hungary, won his third medal despite the fact that one of his legs had been amputated below the knee following a car accident.  There was no Paralympics at that time.

Olympic Motto

Citius, Altius, Fortius is a Latin expression that means faster, higher, stronger and ipitomises the idea that the key thing is to strive to do one’s best, not just to win.  The motto was proposed on the creation of the I0C by Pierre De Coubertin, who had heard it used by his friend Henri Didon, a Dominican priest.  The Motto was first introduced  at the 1924 Paris Olympics.

Olympic Rings

In 1913, De Coubertin came up with the Olympic rings symbol.  (The five rings stand for the five continents with Antarctica excluded and North and South America considered as one). 

Olympic Flag

was first flown in the 1920 Antwerp Olympics.  De Coubertin colored the rings (blue,yellow,black,green and red) by hand.

Olympic Anthem

The Olympic Anthem or Hymn was written for the first Modern Games in 1896.  It was composed by Greek Spyros Samaras with lyrics by Kostis Palamas. However in 1960, each subsequent Olympics host nation commissioned its own specific hymn.

Hasta la vista Paul

Another good friend and fellow journalist has passed away. Paul Oaminal 51, succumbed to complications of asthma the other day.  Hasta La Vista Paul, Rest In Peace.