Guor Marial

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. 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. While 28 members of his family were killed during the conflict, he was able to escape to Egypt, and then permanently to the United States. 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. 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. He began participating in track and field while attending high school in Concord, New Hampshire, after being encouraged by his gym teacher. He also competed in college at Iowa State, where he was an All-American athlete.