Boughera El Ouafi

Boughera El Ouafi

Ahmed Boughera El Ouafi in 1928
Personal information
Born	(1898-10-15)15 October 1898 Ouled Djellal, Constantine Department, French Algeria, France
Died	18 October 1959(1959-10-18) (aged 61) Saint-Denis , Seine-Saint-Denis, France
Sport
Country	France
Sport	Athletics
Event	Long-distance running
Medal record Men's athletics Representing France Olympic Games 1928 Amsterdam Marathon

Ahmed Boughèra El Ouafi (Arabic: أحمد بوقرة الوافي; 15 October 1898 – 18 October 1959) was an French athlete who won the 1928 Olympic Marathon.

Biography

Detail from a postcard of El Ouafi entering the Olympic Stadium in 1928

El Ouafi was born in the town of Ouled Djellal, joining the French military regiment later (at that time, Algeria was part of French Algeria). One of his superior officers noticed El Ouafi's outstanding athletic abilities, and decided to send him to military sports competition in mainland France.

He became a factory worker at Renault in Boulogne-Billancourt near Paris and in 1924 and became France marathon champion thus qualifying for the 1924 Olympic Marathon

Boughèra El Ouafi completed his first Olympic marathon, running for France, in seventh position.

He became France marathon champion for the second and last time in 1928, thus qualifying for the 1928 Olympic Marathon

In the 1928 competition, he ran behind the leaders for the first three quarters of the race, overtaking them some 5 km before the end. He was never caught by any of the other runners, and finished first, 26 seconds ahead of second-placed Manuel Plaza from Chile. El Ouafi was the only representative of French athletics to win gold at the 1928 Olympics.

After his surprise victory, El Ouafi toured the United States. However, the money he earned with this trip disqualified him as an amateur, causing him to leave the sport, and he opened a cafe in Paris. El Ouafi remained forgotten until 1956, when another Algerian, Alain Mimoun, also won the Olympic marathon. Reporters went to seek out the other Algerian who had won 28 years earlier, and found him a pauper.

El Ouafi was killed while in a café, three days after his 61st birthday. Accounts of his death vary. French media then claimed that he was targeted by members of the National Liberation Front after he had refused to support them; other accounts say he was a bystander victim of an argument between family members and revolutionaries, or was killed during a family quarrel.

Sources

• Wallechinsky, David (2004). The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics, Toronto: Sport Classic Books. ISBN 1-894963-34-2