Fauja Singh in 2007
TORONTO (AP) — Centenarian marathoner Fauja Singh won’t have a spot in the Guinness World Book of Records after all.
The 100-year-old Singh attracted worldwide attention when he completed the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in over eight hours on Oct. 16.
But Guinness World Records told the BBC it won’t recognize Singh as the world’s oldest marathoner because he can’t show a birth certificate from 1911.
Singh’s British passport shows his date of birth as April 1, 1911. A letter from Indian government officials states that birth records were not kept in 1911.
Three days before the marathon, Singh claimed another eight records for 100-year-old men in distances from 100 meters to 5,000 meters. It appears those records will be recognized by World Masters Athletics. (end)