Marial was born in Sudan in 1984 and took part in the men's marathon at the London Olympic Games. However, he did not do so representing his country, but became one of the four athletes in the 2012 Olympic Games that took part under the Olympic flag as Independent Olympic Participants.

This long distance runner fled Southern Sudan when he was only 8 years old, due to the poor living conditions his country had. He has spent part of his life in the United States, where he has lived as a refugee, and in this country he studied at the University of Iowa. It was here that he started to run and train as an athlete.

Sources:

• Goafrica
• Dailymail