Sikh replaces Beckham as Adidas' poster boy

[nanosecond]

Sikh replaces Beckham as Adidas' poster boy :umm:

Monday April 19 2004 11:23 IST

PTI

LONDON: He has replaced David Beckham as Adidas’s new poster boy. On the latest Adidas billboards, spread across London, he is sitting cross-legged; as if cooling his heals after a day’s work out, peeping over Londoners, tired and overworked, telling them the secrets of his unfailing energy.

Fauja Singh, Britain’s most popular Sikh is 93, the oldest runner in Sunday’s London Marathon. He is threatening to break his own world record of 5.40 hours in the 90 plus age bracket that he set last year.

While running Marathon races in London, New York and Toronto last year, he raised thousands of pounds for various charities promoting Sikh culture around the world. He has also raised money for BLISS, a charity dedicated to the care for premature babies. He describes it as the ‘‘oldest running for the youngest’’.

Fauja Singh shot to fame five years ago, when aged 89, he completed the gruelling 26.2 mile distance in 6 hours and 54 minutes. This knocked 58 minutes off the previous world best for anyone in the 90 plus age bracket.

The career of this extraordinary Marathon runner is closely supervised by his personal trainer Harminder Singh. He says ‘‘he can still run for a few more years. And perhaps in five years he might be the oldest man to run a Marathon.’’

Fauja Singh came to London in 1992 to live with his son after his wife’s death in his village in Jalandhar. ‘‘Sitting at home was really killing,’’ he

says in Punjabi. ‘‘Most elderly people in Britain eat a rich diet, don’t move about and only travel in cars, and that makes them sick,’’ he says. He wasn’t prepared to go the same way. So he took up jogging initially to beat the boredom of sitting at home.

‘‘I never thought of running a Marathon then. But slowly it grew.’’ What surprises many is that he supports his eight stone and six feet tall body frame with a very simple vegetarian diet. ‘‘I am very careful about different foods. My diet is simple phulka, dal, green vegetables, yoghurt and milk. I do not touch parathas, pakoras, rice or any other fried food. I take lots of water and tea with ginger.’’

And that smile is eternally fixed beneath his silver haired beard. Perhaps that’s the reason behind his strikingly inspiring and positive attitude. ‘‘I go to bed early taking the name of my Rabba as I don’t want all those negative thoughts crossing my mind.’’

Doesn’t he find it difficult to cover 26 miles at this age? ‘‘The first 20 miles are not difficult. As for last six miles, I run while talking to God.’’

Last year, Adidas signed him up for its ‘‘Nothing Is Impossible’’ advertising campaign. He won’t reveal how much money the deal involves, but says that a large part of his earnings goes to charity. But the question is how long can he continue to run Marathons.

Steven Carroll, an expert in sports medicine says that Fauja Singh should go on running for as long as he likes, provided his cardiovascular system is able to support his gruelling schedule. But, he cautioned: ‘‘No one should run a marathon, be they 16 or 93, without getting properly fit first. A marathon is a punishing event and anyone thinking of entering must build up endurance.’’

Last Friday, Fauja Singh had to go through his final medical test. ‘‘They had all types of machines and took many tests. Everything is fine with me. Though my one leg is weaker than the other, I can complete the run,’’ he says wth a disarming smile.

That’s why the Ad

idas billboard warns the Marathon runners from Kenya: ‘‘The Kenyans had better watch out for him when hehits 100.’’

photo.jpe

[V]

This guy is WICKED :D

In the gora area of SWEDEN

we had a pic of him running in the sports papers

n it said 'the oldest runner in the marathon'

not very long article tho :umm:

[Khalsa4ever]

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw!

vwihgurU jI kI &iqh!!

Listen, it great that now we have a positive role model in our community... someone that young Singhs can look up to. We've been cast as drunks for too long :umm:

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw!

vwihgurU jI kI &iqh!!

[DhadiMania]

u think about it, hes an old buddha, he shud b in a wheel chair by now. but he isnt.

do u no y?

cuz hes sikh, grown kesh (has he taken amrit) if he has, then theres ure reason y hes got the shakti.

well, u take amrit guess u do hav shakti. but 2 get that shakti, hes gotta b keepin full rehat.

wot u think?

[Guest balwinderkaur]

i agree with kandola............yayyyyyyy so good to hear that fauja singh jee has replaced that unfaithful 'pretty woman' fantasizer beck. finally a positive role model for us...................BOLE SO NIHAAL SAT SRI AKAAL.

[raj_karega_khalsa]

Waheguroo Jee Ka Khalsa!

Waheguroo Jee Kee Fateh!!

i love this guy....hes 93 and hes STILL running marathons. awesome role model for sikh youth, or jus youth period.

[smartsingh24]

Awesome guy, someone to be really proud of. :umm: :D

[paramjit]

I think what Fauja Singh has done for the Sikhs in a short time , Akalis have failed to do even a cent since last decade. Long Live my Role model Fauza Singh and keep running till the Sikh youth of today awakes from deep sleep.

Waheguroo Jee Ka Khalsa!

Waheguroo Jee Kee Fateh!!

[lakhvir]

GuruFatehJi.

Some Sikhs may have let down the Guru, but the Guru never lets down the Panth. Here is one man, humble like dust, full GurSikh and running for his Guru. If you download the Fauja Singh wallpaper from the adidas website, you will see a different man - seated down, in ready for his prayer and in ever so much Chardikala!

I like the way he said, “Mein poori century maaranga. Mere ute rab di mehar hai.”

When I'm his age, it would be a blessing to be like him.

May Waheguru bless him beyond the century!

L*

[Balait_da_Sher]

:umm: