Chandigarh, Oct 4: Around 5,000 fitness enthusiasts, serving defense personnel, veterans, and students gathered in Chandigarh on Sunday to participate in the Sekhon Indian Air Force Marathon – 2026. Jointly organized by the Indian Air Force and the Chandigarh Administration in the run-up to Air Force Day on October 8, the athletic event paid tribute to Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, the IAF’s only Param Vir Chakra recipient. The marathon featured multiple categories spanning various distances and age groups, promoting operational discipline, physical fitness, and national pride across participants from Chandigarh, Panchkula, Mohali, and neighboring districts.
Air Marshal George Thomas, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Western Air Command, attended as Chief Guest. Official defense communications affirmed that the annual marathon contributes to the broader Fit India movement while strengthening civil-military integration. The initiative honors the sacrifice of Flying Officer Sekhon, who engaged six attacking Pakistani Sabre jets over the Srinagar airbase on December 14, 1971, while serving with No. 18 Squadron ‘Flying Bullets’. The historic squadron, initially raised in 1965 with Gnat aircraft and later resurrected in 2020 on the indigenous Tejas Mk-1 fighter platform, earned distinguished Battle Honors for its operational role defending the Kashmir Valley during the 1971 conflict.
