Marial armed with pride Gulf-daily-news.com London, 23/7/2012 – Guor Marial will run under the Olympic flag when the starting pistol sounds for the men's marathon on August 12 but deep inside, the 28-year-old will be brimming with pride at becoming the first athlete to represent South Sudan. Marial moved to the United States 12 years ago and given that South Sudan only declared independence in 2011 after decades of civil war and has yet to establish a National Olympic Committee, it cannot send a team to the London Games. The runner does not hold US citizenship and refused an offer to represent Sudan, but on Saturday the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that Marial could line up for the marathon as an independent participant. "It's very emotional and it raises high hopes for the young kids especially," Marial said in Arizona shortly after receiving the news. "It means a lot... and for me it means a lot to glorify the people who died for their freedom and people who lost their lives, including 28 members of my family and relatives, you know combined - extended family."
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