Sports: Sprinter Hari Chand, who won two gold medals for the country in the Asian Games, died

This morning a sad news has come from the sports world. Hari Chand, a long-distance runner who represented India at the Asian Games and won a double gold medal for the country, has passed away. Harichand, two Asian Games gold medalist and Olympic Games participant and a resident of village Dholwaha in Hoshiarpur, passed away on Monday morning at the age of 69. Harichand breathed his last at a private hospital in Jalandhar. His last rites will be performed at Dholwaha on June 14. He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.

Let us tell you that Hari Chand, one of India’s best long-distance runners, represented the country in the 1976 and 1980 Olympic Games. He competed in the 1976 Montreal Olympics, where he came eighth in the 10,000 meters with a time of 28:48.72, a national record for an Indian athlete. After 32 years, his record was broken by Surendra Singh. Apart from this, in 1975, he had illuminated the name of the country by winning the gold medal in the 10,000 meters race at the Asian Championships. He then won two gold medals in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters at the 1978 Bangkok Asian Games. However, at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, he came tenth in the 10,000 meters race. Hari Chand is a name in Indian athletics who did a lot for the country but could not make headlines. Today most of the people do not even know about this hero of the country. Hari Chand was also awarded the Arjuna Award for his outstanding contribution to sports.

Significantly, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has expressed deep grief over the death of Hari Chand. He tweeted in Punjabi and wrote – Received the news of the death of Hoshiarpur Olympian Hari Chand, who won a double gold medal in the Asian Games. Hari Chand, who was the pride of Indian athletics, will always be remembered for his game. He will also inspire the generations to come. I pray for his spiritual peace.