Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, June 13: Hari Chand, a two-time Asian Games gold medalist and Olympian, died on Monday morning at the age of 69. The former long distance runner was born in Ghorewah village in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, on April 1, 1953. Chand was one of India’s most accomplished long-distance runners.
Hari Chand was one of the best distance runners India has ever produced. He represented his country in two Olympic Games. He finished eighth in the 10,000m at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, with a time of 28:48.72, which held a national record for 32 years until Surendra Singh broke it.
Chand then competed in the 1980 Olympic Men’s Marathon, finishing in 2:22:08 at Lenin Stadium in Moskva.
Chand won two gold medals in the Asian Games in Bangkok in 1978. Chand was on the top step of the podium in both the 5000m and 10,000m events in Thailand.
Hari Chand was also awarded the Arjuna Award for his service to Indian sports.
