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Malaysia Footballer Badly Hurt in Acid Attack Pledges to Play Again

Faisal Halim was severely injured in an acid attack last month. Arif Kartono / AFP
Faisal Halim was severely injured in an acid attack last month. Arif Kartono / AFP
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Malaysia Footballer Badly Hurt in Acid Attack Pledges to Play Again

Faisal Halim was severely injured in an acid attack last month. Arif Kartono / AFP
Faisal Halim was severely injured in an acid attack last month. Arif Kartono / AFP

A Malaysian international badly hurt in an acid attack in May broke down in tears on Thursday as he pledged to return to football in "one to two months".
Selangor FC winger Faisal Halim suffered fourth-degree burns on his neck, shoulder, hands and chest in the attack at a shopping center outside Kuala Lumpur on May 5.
Nicknamed "Mickey", the popular 26-year-old spent three weeks in hospital and had multiple surgeries for the burns to his skin, according to AFP.
Speaking to journalists for the first time since the ordeal, a tearful Faisal said: "My hope is to return to the pitch in the next one to two months, even though the doctor says it could take up to six months."
He added: "I am willing to return to training when doctors give me the green light."
Scars were visible on the left side of his head and face. He also appeared underweight and his physical movements seemed slower.
A dozen burly bodyguards wearing black escorted the player into the press conference.
Faisal did not explain why, but said that "right now I am kept in a secret hideout" with his family, expressing hope "I can soon be free and no need to hide".
Two people were arrested after the attack but both were released without any charge. It is unclear what was behind the assault.
Faisal's case was the most serious and high-profile of a string of crimes against four top-flight Malaysian footballers in May.
The incidents are not believed to be linked.
Faisal is an established Malaysian international whose equalizer against South Korea at the start of the year was voted best goal at the Asian Cup.
"I miss football," added Faisal.
Malaysia's domestic football season was scheduled to begin on May 10 with a curtain-raiser between Faisal's Selangor and Super League champions Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT).
Selangor pulled out citing "a series of criminal incidents and recent threats", but the league got under way the following day under heavy security.

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'World's Oldest Marathon Runner' Dies Aged 114 in Road Accident

(FILES) Indian-born British national Fauja Singh (C) waves a Hong Kong flag after crossing the finish line in the 10-km event as part of the Hong Kong Marathon on February 24, 2013. (Photo by Dale DE LA REY / AFP)
(FILES) Indian-born British national Fauja Singh (C) waves a Hong Kong flag after crossing the finish line in the 10-km event as part of the Hong Kong Marathon on February 24, 2013. (Photo by Dale DE LA REY / AFP)
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'World's Oldest Marathon Runner' Dies Aged 114 in Road Accident

(FILES) Indian-born British national Fauja Singh (C) waves a Hong Kong flag after crossing the finish line in the 10-km event as part of the Hong Kong Marathon on February 24, 2013. (Photo by Dale DE LA REY / AFP)
(FILES) Indian-born British national Fauja Singh (C) waves a Hong Kong flag after crossing the finish line in the 10-km event as part of the Hong Kong Marathon on February 24, 2013. (Photo by Dale DE LA REY / AFP)

India's Fauja Singh, believed to be the world's oldest distance runner, has died in a road accident aged 114, his biographer said Tuesday.

Singh, an Indian-born British national, nicknamed the "Turbaned Tornado", died after being hit by a vehicle in Punjab state's Jalandhar district on Monday, AFP reported.

"My Turbaned Tornado is no more," Fauja's biographer Khushwant Singh wrote on X.

"He was struck by an unidentified vehicle... in his village, Bias, while crossing the road. Rest in peace, my dear Fauja."

Singh did not have a birth certificate but his family said he was born on April 1, 1911.

He ran full marathons (42 kilometer) till the age of 100.

His last race was a 10-kilometer (six-mile) event at the 2013 Hong Kong Marathon when 101, where he finished in one hour, 32 minutes and 28 seconds.

He became an international sensation after taking up distance running at the ripe old age of 89, after the death of his wife and one of his sons, inspired by seeing marathons on television.

Although widely regarded as the world's oldest marathon runner, he was not certified by Guinness World Records as he could not prove his age, saying that birth certificates did not exist when he was born under British colonial rule in 2011.

Singh was a torchbearer for the Olympics at Athens 2004 and London 2012, and appeared in advertisements with sports stars such as David Beckham and Muhammad Ali.

His strength and vitality were credited to a routine of farm walks and a diet including Indian sweet "laddu" packed with dry fruits and home-churned curd.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute on social media.

"Fauja Singh was extraordinary because of his unique persona and the manner in which he inspired the youth of India on a very important topic of fitness," said Modi on X.

"He was an exceptional athlete with incredible determination. Pained by his passing away. My thoughts are with his family and countless admirers around the world."