He ran barefoot with tape around his feet and yet he was a winner all the way and now he is no more. He is one of India’s greatest long-distance runners Hari Chand who passed away today at the age of 69 at Hoshiarpur, Punjab.

Chand participated twice in the Olympics. In the Montreal Summer Olympics in 1976, he came eighth in the 10,000 metres. His timing of 28:48.72, was a record which stood for 32 years, till it was broken by Surendra Singh.

In the Men's Marathon in Moscow Olympics in 1980, Chand completed the race with a timing of 2:22:08.

At the 1978 Bangkok Asian Games, he came up with an incredible performance as he won two gold medals. He finished first in the 5,000 and 10,000 metre races.

Talking to NDTV Khajan Singh, Asian Games medallist swimmer about Hari Chand’s demise said: "It's a great loss for Indian sport. In the CRPF, he was my superior. He was so competitive and yet so simple. He used to groom players everywhere he went. I personally learned a lot from him. He was like a guiding light to many of us.”

Born on April 1, 1953, Chand hailed from Ghorewah village in Hoshiarpur.