Long distance great Hari Chand, a two-time Olympian and a double Asian Games gold medallist, passed away in Jalandhar on Sunday. He was 69.
Chand won the 5000 and 10,000m gold at the 1978 Bangkok Asiad and also the 10,000m title at the 1975 Asian Championships in Seoul.
Chand, who hailed from Ghorewaha village in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur District, made waves with his barefoot running and broke the 10,000m National record at the 1976 Montreal Olympics which stood for 32 years before falling to Surendra Singh. He was eighth in his heats in Montreal, clocking 28:48.72s.
