Majed Abu Maraheel (Arabic: ماجد أبو مراحيل, Mājid ʿAbū Marāḥīl; 5 June 1963 – 11 June 2024) was a Palestinian long-distance runner and athletics coach who was the first Palestinian to compete at the Olympic Games. Born to a refugee family in the Gaza Strip, Abu Maraheel worked as a day laborer in Israel before pursuing athletics. He self-trained as a long-distance runner at Gazan streets and beaches, becoming locally famed after winning a variety of local competitions. After winning an 8-kilometre race in 1995, he was recruited by Palestinian National Authority leader Yasser Arafat into Force 17, his personal security force.
Born |
5 June 1963
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Died |
11 June 2024 (aged 61)
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Zodiac | Gemini |
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