Shivnath Singh (July 11, 1946 – June 6, 2003) was one of the few great

long-distance runners Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance running comes two di ...

that India has produced. Singh represented India twice in the Asian games and twice at the

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The ina ...

(1976 and 1980). He was born in Majharia,

Buxar Buxar is a nagar parishad city in the state of Bihar, India bordering Uttar Pradesh. It is the headquarters of the eponymous Buxar district, as well as the headquarters of the community development block of Buxar, which also contains the ce ...

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...

in India. He joined the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the Land warfare, land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Arm ...

in the

Bihar Regiment The Bihar Regiment is an Indian Army infantry regiment. It traces its origins back to the British Indian Army. The Bihar Regiment was formed in 1941 by regularising the 11th (Territorial) Battalion, the 19th Hyderabad Regiment, and r ...

and rose to the rank of

Naib Subedar Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) is a term used for a group of military ranks which is higher than havildar ( non commissioned officer) and lower than lieutenant ( commissioned officer). The term is only used by Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. Se ...

. He died on 6 June 2003 at

Jamshedpur Jamshedpur (, ) or Tatanagar is the largest and most populous city in Jharkhand and the first planned industrial city in India. It is a Notified Area Council and Municipal Corporation and also the headquarter of the East Singhbhum district. It ...

, India after a prolonged illness. He still holds India's national record for the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

which he set in 1978. His is the longest standing athletics record in Indian history.

Career

He represented India at the

1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phi ...

and placed 11th in the 1976 Olympic Men's Marathon. He dropped out of the 1980 Olympic Men's Marathon in Moscow. Shivnath Singh competed barefoot throughout his running career. He holds the Indian national marathon record with a best time (2:12:00), a feat that he achieved in

Jalandhar Jalandhar is the third most-populous city in the Indian state of Punjab and the largest city in Doaba region. Jalandhar lies alongside the Grand Trunk Road and is a well-connected rail and road junction. Jalandhar is northwest of the state ...

in 1978.

Achievements

References

External links

*
Olympic results for India including Shivnath Singh in the listingsSingh's obituary at Times of IndiaSingh's obituary at Sunday Times of India, 8 June 2003
{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Shivnath 1946 births 2003 deaths Athletes from Bihar Indian male marathon runners Indian male long-distance runners Olympic athletes of India Athletes (track and field) at the 1976 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1980 Summer Olympics Asian Games gold medalists for India Asian Games silver medalists for India Asian Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Athletes (track and field) at the 1974 Asian Games Commonwealth Games competitors for India Athletes (track and field) at the 1978 Commonwealth Games Recipients of the Arjuna Award Medalists at the 1974 Asian Games