Famous Runner Returns to South Sudan
07/04/2013
Olympic athlete and former refugee Guor Marial raises the flag of South Sudan after returning to the country.
Hello and welcome to another day in our world “As It Is.” I’m Jim Tedder in Washington. Today we have two stories that should make you happy. First, a young man returns to his African home to help his family and others. He left an unknown, but now he is famous. Then, you won’t believe what someone is building in his back yard in Kampala, Uganda. Ten minutes together is such a short time. Let’s get started.
South Sudan’s most famous athlete, runner Guor Marial, has returned home for the first time in 20 years to be with his family. He is bringing attention to other refugees of the world’s newest country. He returned after a civil war that killed two million people.
Twenty years ago, bomber planes and soldiers came to Guor Marial’s village at the height of Africa’s longest-lasting civil war. He was kidnapped as a child and taken to Sudan’s capital, Khartoum. Later he fled to Egypt, and after a time, sought refuge in the United States, a country he says he loves. He used his abilities to become a competitor in marathon races. He was the only South Sudanese competitor in the Olympic Games last year.
As Marial was winning races, his homeland sought peace with the north of Sudan before winning independence two years ago. Now the young runner is an ambassador for the United Nations refugee agency. As part of that job, he was brought home to raise the spirits of other refugees and help them pull themselves out of poverty.
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2013-11-25
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