Athletics Federation of India today condoled the passing of 1981 Asian Athletics Championships Decathlon gold medallist Sabir Ali after a cardiac arrest. A two-time World Railways Games medallist, he was 67.
Sabir Ali, who was born on April 19, 1955, became the third Indian to win Asian Athletics Championships decathlon crown after VS Chauhan (1974) and Suresh Babu (1975) when he scored a total of 7253 points in the 1981 edition in Tokyo. He was given the Arjuna Award that year.
AFI President Dr. Adille J. Sumariwalla, led the condolences. “It is a shock that my team-mate is no more. Sabir was a phenomenal athlete. He was my team-mate, and we had many fond memories together,” Dr. Sumariwalla said. “Our thoughts are with his family in this time of grief.”
AFI Planning Committee Chairman Dr. Lalit K. Bhanot remembered Sabir Ali as an outstanding athlete and a good human being. “It is sad to know about the sudden passing of Sabir Ali. We did our post-graduation together. God give strength to his family to bear this loss,” Dr. Bhanot said.
