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Budhia SinghIndian boy, world's youngest marathon runner
Country:
 India |
Content:
- Biography of Budhia Singh
- Discovery as a Marathon Runner
- Controversies and Investigation
- Life After Das
Biography of Budhia Singh
Early Life and ExploitationBudhia Singh, the Indian boy known as the youngest marathon runner in the world, was born in 2002 to a poor Indian family who could not take care of him. In 2004, he was sold to a local traveling salesman for 800 Indian rupees. However, it turned out that the salesman treated Budhia poorly, so his mother, who still cared for him, approached judo coach Biranchi Das to buy him back. Das agreed, paid the salesman the same 800 rupees, and Budhia came under his care. Living with Das and several other orphans whom he trained, Budhia grew up as an active boy.
Discovery as a Marathon Runner
One day, when Budhia misbehaved, Das punished him by making him run in circles. Unbeknownst to Das, Budhia continued running even after five hours. Surprised by this, Das immediately examined him and discovered that Budhia's heart was functioning as if he had not been running for the past few hours. Impressed by this endurance, Das decided to train him to become a marathon runner. By the age of four, Budhia had completed 48 marathon distances and gained fame for his remarkable abilities. He was even featured in several commercials, which were said to have financially benefited Das.
Controversies and Investigation
However, concerns about child exploitation arose, leading to an official investigation in January 2006 by the Department of Child Welfare. Das managed to dispel the suspicions and faced no punishment, while young Budhia continued running. A documentary film called "Marathon Boy" was released in 2011, raising many questions about Budhia's exploitation and the lack of care for Indian children in similar situations. Despite some answers being left unanswered, it became evident that Budhia was merely a puppet for Das's financial gain.
Life After Das
On April 13, 2008, coach Biranchi Das was murdered in Bhubaneswar, unrelated to Budhia. However, this meant that Budhia lost his guardian and coach. Fortunately, the government took custody of Budhia, and he currently resides in a special sports school boarding facility. He receives training in running, hockey, and football. In 2016, a biographical sports film titled "Budhia Singh - Born To Run" was released, highlighting Budhia's life and relationship with Das. Today, Budhia is treated like any other child in the government sports school in Odisha. His athletics coach, Rupanwita Panda, believes that Budhia is too young for marathons but Budhia himself disagrees, stating his dream to represent India in the Olympics and drawing inspiration from world record holder Usain Bolt.
