Boughera El Ouafi facts for kids
Ahmed Boughera El Ouafi in 1928
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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| Born | 15 October 1898 Ouled Djellal, Constantine Department, French Algeria, France |
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| Died | 18 October 1959 (aged 61) Saint-Denis , Seine-Saint-Denis, France |
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| Sport | ||||||||||||||
| Country | France | |||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Long-distance running | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Ahmed Boughèra El Ouafi (born October 15, 1898 – died October 18, 1959) was a French athlete. He is famous for winning the marathon race at the 1928 Olympic Games.
Contents
About Boughera El Ouafi
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Boughera El Ouafi was born in a town called Ouled Djellal. At that time, Algeria was part of France. He later joined the French military.
One of his officers noticed how good he was at running. This officer decided to send him to sports competitions in France.
Becoming a Champion
El Ouafi started working at a factory in France. He also continued his running. In 1924, he became the French marathon champion. This allowed him to compete in the 1924 Olympic Marathon.
He ran for France in his first Olympic marathon. He finished in seventh place.
In 1928, he won the French marathon championship again. This meant he could go to the 1928 Olympic Marathon in Amsterdam.
Olympic Gold Medal
During the 1928 Olympic marathon, El Ouafi stayed behind the main group for most of the race. With about 5 kilometers (3 miles) left, he started to speed up. He passed all the other runners.
He finished first, 26 seconds ahead of the runner from Chile. El Ouafi was the only French athlete to win a gold medal in athletics at the 1928 Olympics. It was a big surprise victory!
Life After the Olympics
After his win, El Ouafi traveled to the United States. He earned money from this trip. Back then, Olympic athletes were not allowed to earn money from their sport. This rule meant he could no longer compete as an amateur athlete.
So, he stopped running professionally. He opened a cafe in Paris. Many people forgot about him for a long time.
In 1956, another Algerian runner, Alain Mimoun, also won the Olympic marathon. Reporters then looked for El Ouafi. They found him living a simple life.
El Ouafi died in a cafe three days after his 61st birthday. The exact reasons for his death are not fully clear, as different stories exist about what happened.
See also
In Spanish: Boughéra El Ouafi para niños
