Hoshiarpur, June 13: Hari Chand, Asian games gold medalist and two-time Olympian, passed away on Monday following a heart attack in a private hospital at Jalandhar, he was suffering from multiple ailments.
The former long-distance runner was born on April 1, 1953 and died at the age of 69. He had retired from CRPF as a commandant.
According to family sources, Chand was survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter. His last rites will be performed on Tuesday in his native village Ghorewaha.
Chand, won twin gold at the 1978 Bangkok Asian Games in the 5000m and 10000m races.
In the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, he ran barefooted and finished eighth in the 10,000 metre run with a national record time of 28:48.72, which remained for 32 years, later broken by Surendra Singh.
In the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Chand came 10th in the 10,000 metre run. He also competed in the Men’s Marathon at the Moscow Olympics and was placed at the 31st position clocking 2:22:08.
He had won the gold medal establishing a new record in Asian Athletic Championship in 10,000 meter race and won a bronze medal in 5000 meter race in Asian Athletic Championship in 1975.
He was conferred the prestigious Arjun Award in 1975.
Talking to UNI, Chand’s younger son Sonipal Singh said, “He was running a tour and travel business in the national capital. Due to the ill health of his father he wound up his business from Delhi and came to village Ghorewaha to take care of his father. He was planning to travel business in his village.”
His elder brother had been serving as Additional General Manager in ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited), Assam and sister Baljit Kaur was working in Delhi.
“Government should take care of ex-servicemen, who have brought laurels to the country, when they are no longer able to do anything. When such people leave the world only then the government remembers them. The government should call them from time to time in social events so that people can get to know about them,” Sonipal said.
MLA of the area Jasbir Singh Gill expressed his condolences to the bereaved family and said that he was saddened to hear of the demise of one of the country’s most celebrated Olympian. Describing Hari Chand as the star of Indian athletics, Gill said that he would always be remembered for his sport and would become an inspiration for the coming generations.
Paying tributes to the departed soul, Hoshiarpur District Sports Officer Rupesh Kumar said that all the arrangements for Chand’s cremation will be done by the sports department.
