Indian Dharampal Singh Gudha has been known to the world since 2016, when he first came under the scrutiny of journalists, claiming that he was already 119 years old.
Now he is 121 years old, while Dharampal Singh looks at a maximum of 70. Moreover, he regularly takes part in marathon races. He has over 20 medals in his age category from national and international sporting events.
Dharampal Singh was born on October 6, 1897 in the village of Gudha near the city of Merath in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Moreover, he has documents and a passport where this date is indicated. He began to get involved in running as a teenager.
“When I was young, I constantly ran from the village to the neighboring village, which was 700 meters away from us. I did a few laps back and forth,”says the old man.
Dharampal Singh has worked as a farmer all his life, he still gets up early in the morning at 4 o'clock, after which he goes for a run. He runs at least 4 km every day.
The Guinness Book of Records has not yet confirmed the title of Dharampala Singh as the oldest person in the world, and for some reason there is no rush. Meanwhile, many people ask the old man what exactly he eats. He makes no secret of this.
“I have been following a strictly balanced diet from a young age and have no illnesses. 40 years ago I stopped eating butter and other fatty foods, I also do not drink or smoke."
Promotional video:
In addition to all this, the old man is a vegetarian from birth, and his favorite dish is chutney (Indian sauce with peanuts, tomatoes, cucumber and other ingredients). He drinks water and lemon juice.
Dharampala Singh's age is constantly a matter of heated debate. Skeptics point out that despite the fact that the old man has a passport and three more documents confirming his longevity, he does not have a birth certificate, which in their opinion is suspicious.
On the other hand, in those years at the end of the 19th century, such documents were often not found in India at all. However, this is what seems to be stopping the Guinness Book of Records from accepting the Indian marathon runner there.