Ahmed Boughèra El Ouafi ( ar, أحمد بوقرة الوافي; 15 October 1898 – 18 October 1959) was an Algerian
athlete during the time of the
French occupation of Algeria. In 1928, he won the
Olympic gold medal in the
marathon.
Biography
El Ouafi was born in the town of
Ouled Djellal
Ouled Djellal is a town and commune in Biskra Province, Algeria. According to the 1998 census it has a population of 45,622. more recent census says it has over 66,000 people. It is the second biggest city in the state of Biskra because of its pop ...
, 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 a military sports competition in France. He made a good impression there, and was allowed to enter qualification for the
1924 Summer Olympics in Paris in the marathon event.
Boughèra El Ouafi managed to qualify, and completed his first Olympic marathon, running for France, in seventh position. This good result allowed him to prepare more extensively for the
next Games, held in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
. 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
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
. 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
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. 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
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
. 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.
References
Sources
*
Wallechinsky, David (2004). ''The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics'',
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
: Sport Classic Books.
{{DEFAULTSORT:El Ouafi, Boughera
1898 births
1959 deaths
Algerian male marathon runners
Athletes (track and field) at the 1924 Summer Olympics
Athletes (track and field) at the 1928 Summer Olympics
Olympic gold medalists for France
Olympic athletes of France
French sportspeople of Algerian descent
French male long-distance runners
French male marathon runners
People from Biskra Province
Medalists at the 1928 Summer Olympics
Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field)
Algerian murder victims
Male murder victims
People murdered in Algeria