Guor Marial Explained

Birth Name:Guor Mading Maker
Nationality:South Sudanese
Birth Date:15 April 1984
Birth Place:Panrieng County, Unity, Sudan (present-day South Sudan)
Alma Mater:Iowa State
Height:1.80 m
Weight:60 kg
Sport:Athletics
Event:Marathon
Olympics:47th (2012); 82nd (2016)
Pb:2:12:55[1]
Updated:7 August 2023
Module3:
Embed:yes
Unit:21st Dental Squadron
Serviceyears:2018–present
Rank: Senior Airman[2]

Guor Mading Maker (born 15 April 1984), also known as Guor Marial,[3] is a South Sudanese Olympic track and field athlete. He is a Dinka tribesman.

Maker competed in the men's marathon at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Due to the civil war that saw South Sudan split from Sudan, he has refused to compete under the flag of the latter, stating, "It would be betraying my people". He was one of four athletes competing in the 2012 Summer Olympics under the Olympic flag rather than that of an individual country.[4]

Maker competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics for South Sudan, the country's first appearance at an Olympic Games.

A film has been made of his life called Runner.[5]

Early life

Maker left home at the age of seven to live with his uncle in northern Sudan. In 1994, at the age of nine, he fled from a refugee camp during the Sudanese Civil War.[6] While 28 members of his family were killed during the conflict,[6] he was able to escape to Egypt, and then permanently to the United States.[7] He was granted refugee status by the United States when he was 16. Though his parents survived the civil war, at the time of the 2012 Olympics, he had not seen them in 20 years.[8] However, he returned to South Sudan in 2013 and was reunited with his parents. Eight of his brothers and sisters were killed in the war.[9]

He began participating in track and field while attending high school in Concord, New Hampshire,[10] after being encouraged by his gym teacher. He also competed in college at Iowa State, where he was an All-American athlete.[8]

2012 Summer Olympics

Marial fulfilled the A-qualification standard for the marathon in October 2011, allowing him to participate in the Olympic marathon event at the 2012 Summer Olympics.[6] His case was called "unique" by the IOC,[11] as prior to the games, South Sudan had yet to form a National Olympic Committee and seek full recognition by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which would have allowed them to send a team and compete under the flag of South Sudan.

Marial holds permanent resident status in the United States, but not citizenship.[9] According to his interview in Runner's World, he applied for naturalization to become a U.S. citizen in 2011 and had his naturalization interview, but his application remains pending: "Technically, I was supposed to be a citizen last June, because I did everything, I did my citizen test, I did my interview, I did my fingerprint, and everything was all set. All I needed to do was go to their office and get my passport and do the ceremony. That was in June 2011, but there has been a security background check...and that's what took everything longer."[12]

The National Olympic Committee of Sudan offered to allow Marial to compete as a member of the Sudanese team, but he rejected this offer, saying, "It's not right for me to do that. It's not right for me to represent the country I refuged from."[13] He went on to say, "If I ran for Sudan, I would be betraying my people. I would be dishonoring the two million people who died for our freedom."[9]

The IOC-executive board announced its decision on 20 July to allow Marial to participate as an Independent Olympic Athlete.[14] However, his travel documentation did not reach him in time, and so he could not march in the opening ceremony on 27 July.[8]

Marial finished 47th in the marathon, with a time of 2:19:32.[15] His personal best is 2:12:55.

In 2013, Marial became a US citizen.[16] He competed at the 2012 Olympics using his adopted name of Marial, which was the surname of his uncle. However, he has since reverted to his birth name.

2016 Summer Olympics

Marial was selected for the 2016 Olympic Games in the marathon. At the opening ceremony, he was the flag-bearer for South Sudan.[17]

He finished with a season best of 2:22:45, coming 81st overall.[18]

Military career

Maker became an Airman in the United States Air Force on 2 February 2018.[19] He was selected for the United States Air Force World Class Athlete Program.[20] He is currently a dental technician with the 21st Dental Squadron. [21]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: South Sudan refugee to run marathon in Olympic colours . Sudan Tribune . July 22, 2012 . January 20, 2013 . November 12, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201112015608/https://sudantribune.com/South-Sudan-refugee-to-run,43329 . dead .
  2. News: Castillo . Kaitlin . Maker runs towards greatness . 7 August 2023 . 505th Command and Control Wing News. 17 October 2022 . 7 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230807193029/https://www.505ccw.acc.af.mil/News/Article/3190974/maker-runs-towards-greatness/ . live .
  3. Web site: One year to Rio 2016: Five global athletes' Olympic odysseys . Reynolds . Tom . Sliney . Noel . Wright . Katie . 4 August 2015 . . 4 August 2015 . 4 August 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150804170814/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/33753404 . live .
  4. News: London 2012 Olympics: South Sudan's Guor Marial allowed to compete under Olympic flag in London . The Telegraph . 21 July 2012 . 21 July 2012 . 22 July 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120722095838/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/athletics/9417428/London-2012-Olympics-South-Sudans-Guor-Marial-allowed-to-compete-under-Olympic-flag-in-London.html . live .
  5. Web site: Press. Detroit Free. documentary 'Runner' tells story of refugee who becomes Olympian. 2021-07-09. Detroit Free Press. en-US. 2021-07-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20210729231320/https://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/movies/2020/06/18/runner-documentary-streaming-watch-vimeo-refugee-olympian-guor-sudan/3208287001/. live.
  6. Web site: BBC Sport – Olympic marathon: Guor Marial, running for the world . BBC News . 2012-07-23 . 2012-08-12 . 2012-08-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120812082113/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/athletics/19225751 . live .
  7. News: Guor Marial: An Olympian without a country . The Chicago Tribune . 28 July 2012 . 25 July 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120725133112/http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/sns-la-la-sp-on-guor-marial-olympics-20120721,0,7071095.story . dead .
  8. News: Olympian without a country won't march in opening ceremony . USA Today . 28 July 2012 . 27 July 2012 . 27 July 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120727165143/http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/london/story/2012-07-26/London-Olympics-Mike-Lopresti-Guor-Marial/56522722/1 . live .
  9. News: Guor Marial: Marathon Runner Flees Sudan, Heads to London Olympics . Huffington Post . 28 July 2012 . Joshua . Kors . 23 July 2012 . 27 July 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120727051111/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joshua-kors/guor-marial-marathon-runn_b_1693767.html . live .
  10. Web site: Concord Monitor. www.concordmonitor.com. 2024-01-17. 2024-01-17. https://web.archive.org/web/20240117142821/https://www.concordmonitor.com/. live.
  11. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/guor-marial-is-a-marathoner-without-a-country-running-under-the-olympic-flag/2012/08/10/684df5f2-e322-11e1-89f7-76e23a982d06_story.html Guor Marial is a marathoner without a country, running under the Olympic flag
  12. http://olympics.runnersworld.com/2012/for-south-sudan-runner-country-comes-before-olympics/ For South Sudan Runner, Country Comes Before Olympics
  13. News: For South Sudanese marathoner, Olympics would be the ultimate refuge . Chicago Tribune . 21 July 2012 . 18 July 2012 . 22 July 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120722103352/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-07-18/sports/chi-for-south-sudanese-marathoner-olympics-would-be-the-ultimate-refugee-20120717_1_south-sudan-london-olympic-ioc . live .
  14. Web site: IOC Executive Board meets ahead of London Games . Olympic.org . 22 July 2012 . 28 July 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130728233441/http://www.olympic.org/news/ioc-executive-board-meets-ahead-of-london-games/168640 . live .
  15. Web site: Men's Marathon – Olympic Athletics, London 2012 . https://archive.today/20130128053356/http://www.london2012.com/athletics/event/men-marathon/index.html?v=20120812-134414552 . dead . January 28, 2013 . London 2012 . January 20, 2013.
  16. Web site: 'Lost Boy' and 2:12 Marathoner Guor Marial To Become U.S. Citizen. Runners World. February 11, 2013. November 22, 2023. November 22, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231122213049/https://www.runnersworld.com/races-places/a20842075/lost-boy-and-2-12-marathoner-guor-marial-to-become-u-s-citizen/. live.
  17. Web site: Service. Tribune News. From refugee to Olympian: The inspirational story of South Sudan's marathon man. 2020-12-27. Tribuneindia News Service. en.
  18. Web site: 2020-11-14. Rio 2016 Marathon men – Olympic Athletics. 2020-12-27. International Olympic Committee. en. 2017-01-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20170103170013/https://www.olympic.org/rio-2016/athletics/marathon-men. live.
  19. News: Former slave, two-time Olympian becomes an Airman . Joint Base San Antonio . 2018-02-24 . en-US . 2018-02-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180225014619/http://www.jbsa.mil/News/News/Article/1449043/former-slave-two-time-olympian-becomes-an-airman/ . live .
  20. Web site: Airman 1st Class Guor Maker. United States Air Force World Class Athlete Program. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200521090438/https://www.afimsc.af.mil/Units/Air-Force-Services-Center/WCAP/Maker/. 21 May 2020. 21 May 2020.
  21. Web site: 2022-10-17 . Maker runs towards greatness . 2023-08-07 . 505th Command and Control Wing . en-US .

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