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July 27, 2012 | 22 notes

If there is anyone who embodies the spirit of the Olympic Games on its opening day today, it is Guor Marial, the South Sudanese refugee marathon runner who won his right to compete in London at the 11th hour. Marial lives in the US, but is a man without a passport or a country. He was born in what is now South Sudan, at a time when it was ruled by Sudan. He learned to run fleeing for his life from a Sudanese labour camp in a conflict that claimed the lives of 28 of his relatives. He survived by hiding in a cave, his jaw broken by soldiers. So when the International Olympic Committee offered him the chance to run for Sudan, he declined. Last week, Marial was one of four competitors the IOC cleared to run under the Olympic flag as an independent, but he is in no doubt that he is running for his fledgling country. By Ros Wynne-Jones
Read about other amazing athletes who have defied the odds here.

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