Hari Chand ran the 10,000 metres at the 1976 Montreal Olympics without shoes and set a national record of 28:48.72 that lasted 32 years. Two years later at the Asian Games in Bangkok he won both the 5000m and the 10,000m. He came from a village in Hoshiarpur, served in the Central Reserve Police Force, and died there in 2022.
Name: Hari Chand
Born: 1 April 1953, Ghorewaha, Hoshiarpur, Punjab
Died: 13 June 2022, Ghorewaha
Sport: Athletics
Events: 5000m, 10,000m, marathon
From wrestling to running
Hari Chand was born on 1 April 1953 in Ghorewaha village. His father wanted him to become a wrestler, but he took up distance running at school, training barefoot. He was short and slight, but quick, and in 1974 he became national champion over 5000 metres.
Seoul 1975 and the Shivnath Singh rivalry
His great rival at home was Shivnath Singh, the 1974 Asian Games 5000m champion. At the 1975 Asian Championships in Seoul, Hari Chand beat Shivnath to win the 10,000m gold in a championship record and took bronze in the 5000m. The Arjuna Award followed that year.
Montreal 1976
Hari Chand went to Montreal with ordinary canvas training shoes that were no use on a synthetic track, so he ran barefoot. He finished eighth in his heat of the 10,000m and did not reach the final, but his time of 28:48.72 was a new Indian record. Surendra Singh finally broke it at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Bangkok 1978
His finest days came at the 1978 Asian Games in Bangkok. He won the 5000m by more than five seconds and the 10,000m by more than nine.
At the 1980 Moscow Olympics he ran the 10,000m heats and the marathon, finishing the marathon in 2:22:08. He hoped to defend his Asian titles in Delhi in 1982 but a bout of fever before the Games ended that plan.
Later life
Hari Chand served with the CRPF and retired as a Commandant. He died in Ghorewaha on 13 June 2022, aged 69, after a period of illness. Adille Sumariwalla, president of the Athletics Federation of India and once his team-mate, said setting a national record at the Olympics showed his determination.
Career record and honours
- Asian Games gold medal, 5000m and 10,000m: Bangkok 1978
- Asian Championships gold medal, 10,000m, and bronze medal, 5000m: Seoul 1975
- National 10,000m record: 28:48.72, Montreal 1976, unbroken until 2008
- Olympic appearances: Montreal 1976, Moscow 1980
- Arjuna Award (1975)
