Fauja Singh, a 101-year-old British man of Indian descent
The annual Hong Kong Marathon was held on February 24. Fauja Singh, a 101-year-old British man of Indian descent, announced his retirement with honor after finishing the 10-kilometer race. Nicknamed the "Turbaned Tornado," Singh only began running marathons at the age of 89. He was the oldest participant in this year's marathon and completed the 10K in 1 hour, 32 minutes, and 28 seconds. "The more I run, the younger I feel. I didn't really want to retire because I'm in good health—I can still chase buses back in the UK. But I decided to step back to give younger runners a chance." Although Singh has announced the end of his marathon career, he added, "In the future, for my personal health, I won't stop running."
According to Chow Wai-lun, chairman of the Hong Kong Marathon organizing committee, about 570 people were injured or felt unwell during the 10K race, with at least 37 taken to the hospital. Among the injured, two were in critical condition. Chow also revealed that the start of the 10K race was initially chaotic, with many participants falling due to collisions caused by some runners taking selfies with their phones at the start line. He stated that organizers will consider whether to introduce a rule banning phone selfies during the race.