Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima is a Brazilian retired long-distance runner. He was born in Cruzeiro do Oeste, Paraná. While leading the marathon after 35 km at the 2004 Summer Olympics, he was attacked on the course by Irish former priest Cornelius "Neil" Horan. Following the incident, de Lima fell from first to third place, eventually winning the bronze medal. He was later awarded the Pierre de Coubertin medal for his sportsmanship shown in that race.
Abdihakem "Abdi" Abdirahman is an American long-distance runner. He is a five-time Olympian competing for the United States in the 10,000 meters and the marathon.
Stephen Mokoka is a South African long-distance runner who competes in races ranging from 3000 metres to the 50 km distance. He formerly held the 50 km world record. He is a four-time medalist at the Universiade and has represented South Africa internationally in road, cross country, and track events. He represented South Africa in the marathon at the 2012 London Olympics.
Abraham Kiprotich is a Kenyan-French long-distance runner. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he competed in the Men's marathon but did not finish.
Abraham Kiplimo is a Ugandan long-distance runner. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he competed in the Men's 5000 metres, finishing 24th overall in Round 1, failing to qualify for the final. At the 2011 World Championships in Athletics he failed to get past the heats of the 5000 m.
Olivier Irabaruta is a Burundian long-distance runner. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he competed in the Men's 5000 metres, finishing 29th overall in Round 1, failing to qualify for the final.
Caio Oliveira de Sena Bonfim is a Brazilian racewalker. In the 20 km walk, he was a bronze medalist at the 2017 World Championships and finished 4th at the 2016 Olympic Games. His mother, Gianetti Bonfim, was also an international racewalker for Brazil.
Peter Kimeli Some is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in road running events, including the marathon. Some has a marathon best of 2:05:38 hours and a half marathon best of 1:00:21 hours. He won the 2013 Paris Marathon and the 2012 Brighton Marathon. He is the son of former runner Some Muge and the brother of Matthew Kisorio.
Paul Pollock is an Irish Marathon runner from Holywood, Northern Ireland. He competed at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics, finishing the marathon in 32nd position, in a time of 2.16.24. He was the first Irishman home, followed by his teammates Kevin Seaward and Mick Clohisey. His time was the third-fastest by an Irish runner at an Olympic game. He also competed in the men's marathon at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan.
Eunice Jepkirui Kirwa is a Kenyan-born Bahraini long-distance runner who specialises in marathon running. Having switched countries in 2013, she is the Bahraini record holder with 2:21:17 hours for the distance, set in 2017 at Nagoya Women's Marathon. She was the silver medallist in the marathon at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.
Nazret Weldu Gebrehiwet is a female long-distance runner from Eritrea. She competed in the 10,000 metres at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing finishing 24th. In 2019, she competed in the senior women's race at the 2019 IAAF World Cross Country Championships held in Aarhus, Denmark. She finished in 27th place.
South Sudan competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. South Sudan had been an independent nation since 2011, but its civil war had delayed its membership with the International Olympic Committee until 2015, making 2016 its first official appearance at the Olympic Games. The country was offered three universality placements in athletics, as no South Sudanese athletes met the Olympic qualifying standards prior to the Games. Three athletes, two men and one woman, competed in three track and field events, but did not win any medals. The sole woman, Margret Rumat Hassan, was given a spot eight days prior to the start of the Games that had been allotted previously to Mangar Makur Chuot. This change was against the advice of the South Sudan Athletics Federation and was due allegedly to pressure from Samsung, for whom Hassan had appeared in an advertisement. The flagbearer for both the opening and closing ceremony was Guor Marial, a marathon runner who, then unable to represent South Sudan, had competed as an Independent Olympic Athlete in 2012. Five South Sudanese nationals also competed as members of the Refugee Olympic Team.
Lucas da Silva Carvalho is a Brazilian sprinter specialising in the 400 metres. He represented his country at the 2017 World Championships without qualifying for the semifinals. He was also an unused reserve runner for the Brazilian 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Yassine Rachik is a Moroccan-born Italian long-distance runner who won the Italian Athletics Championships three times and also won an individual bronze medal at the 2018 European Athletics Championships.
Giovanna Epis is an Italian long-distance runner.
Stephen Scullion is an Irish middle-distance and long-distance runner.
Zeineba Yimer is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. She represented Ethiopia at the 2019 African Games in Rabat, Morocco and won the silver medal in the women's 10,000 metres event.
Daniel Chaves da Silva is a Brazilian long-distance runner.
Daniel Ferreira do Nascimento is a Brazilian long distance runner, owner of the best mark of a marathon runner born outside Africa and record holder in the Americas in the race.
Aline dos Santos Rocha is a Brazilian wheelchair racer and skier, who came third at the 2021 Berlin Marathon, and won multiple medals at the 2023 World Para Nordic Skiing Championships. She competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics and the 2018 and 2022 Winter Paralympics.
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