John Permal (May 31, 1946 – March 27, 2019) was a Pakistani sprinter, who, for a decade, held the distinction of being the fastest man in Pakistan.
He retained the 100 m fastest-man-in-Pakistan title in Rawalpindi in 1967, at Dhaka in 1968, at Karachi in 1970, at Nawabshah in 1971, and again in Lahore for the last time in 1973.
[1] The biggest triumph of his athletic career was the gold medal that he won for Sindh in the 400 metres relay at the National Games at Dacca in 1968.
During the pinnacle of his career, the international press considered him to be one of the most feared sprinters from his part of the world.
[2] When interviewed by the local English daily, Dawn, Permal attributed his success on the track to the support of his school coach Jacob Harris.