Pakistan’s ‘fastest man’ John Permal passes away at 72

LAHORE: Pakistan’s fastest man, Olympian and gold medalist, John Permal passed away in Karachi on Wednesday.

He was reportedly suffering from pancreatic cancer.

Permal, who was Pakistan’s undisputed fastest human for a decade, 1964 to 1974, was a highly educated and qualified sprinter who had begun training as an athlete during his student life.

The biggest triumph of his athletic career was winning gold for Sindh in the 400 metres relay at the National Games at Dacca in 1968. During the peak of his career, the international press considered him to be one of the most feared sprinters from this part of the world. He represented the country with distinction at two Asian Games, both at Bangkok, in 1966 and 1970, and the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh in 1970. Permal also represented Pakistan at the Munich Olympics in 1972.

His friends and family took to social media to mourn John Permal’s loss. It was highly regretted that neither the state institutions nor the government gave the legend his deserved recognition.

Moreover, there was no statement from the government on the country’s sporting legend’s demise.