Fauja Singh has died after being hit by a car in India at the age of 114. The British-Indian, who trained in his adopted hometown of Ilford in east London, took up running in his late eighties and is believed to be the world's oldest marathon runner, having completed the 26.2-mile distance beyond his 100th birthday.

Singh was crossing the road in his birth village of Beas Pind in Punjab, India, when an unidentified vehicle hit him before fleeing the scene, police say. The veteran runner, whose achievements made him a global hero, subsequently died in hospital.

His Ilford running club, Sikhs In The City, wrote in a Facebook post on Monday: "It is with great sadness that we can confirm our icon of humanity and powerhouse of positivity Fauja Singh has passed away in India. Aged 114 years old.

"He succumbed to injuries caused by a vehicle accident while crossing the road close to his home. His running club and charity Sikhs In The City will be devoting all of its events until the Fauja Singh Birthday Challenge on Sunday 29 March 2026 to celebrate his life of success and achievements. We will be doubling the efforts to raise funds to building the Fauja Singh Clubhouse on the route in Ilford where he used to train."

Local police officer Harvinder Singh says that a search for the hit-and-run culprit is underway, vowing: "The accused will be caught soon."

Singh, who showed the BBC a British passport with a birth date listed as 1 April 1911 and a letter from the Queen congratulating him on turning 100, was walking 'several miles a day' right up until his death.

He told the BBC in June: "I still go for walks around the village to keep my legs strong. A person has to take care of his own body."

Singh, who says he never went to school and grew up farming, moved to London in the early 1990s after the death of his wife. He made his London Marathon debut in the year 2000 and ran the distance in Toronto as a centenarian in 2011, which was believed to be a world first.

Organisers made Singh a torchbearer for the 2012 London Olympics, but he claims that his proudest accomplishment was something rather unexpected. He explained: "I refused to run without my turban [at the 2000 London Marathon]. Eventually, the organisers allowed me to run with it, and for me, that's my biggest achievement."