Not only is he the fastest Brazilian marathon runner in history, he is the non-African with the best time at 42.095 km. Daniel Nascimento, known as Danielzinho, won his best mark at the Seoul Marathon, on the 17th.
By completing the course in 2h04min51sec, securing third place, he broke the South American record for the sport, which previously belonged to fellow Brazilian Ronaldo da Costa, and became the first non-African in the best times ranking – whoever looks at the list of World Athletics will see a Belgian, a Turk and a Bahraini, but they were born in Somalia, Kenya and Morocco respectively.
In a press conference before the race, Danielzinho already shared his goal of running in the 2:05min range and breaking Costa’s record. On his Instagram after the milestone, he thanked “all the people who contributed to my success and my growth as a person”.
“I am the result of the trust and strength of each of you. Being remembered is above all a thank you that must be returned with a very special thank you, made from the inside out, from the heart to the world”, he wrote.
To the Finish Line blog, the athlete shared that his focus now turns to the World Athletics World Marathon, the international athletics federation. The test, scheduled for July 17, will be done in laps, in a 14 km course, practically all flat, in the city of Oregon, USA, which hosts the event.
Danielzinho also talks about the possibility of running the New York Marathon, in November, but that he is still evaluating which of the two events he will participate, because even for the fastest South American marathon runners in history, three competitions in a year can be too much.
At 23 years old, the Brazilian already has a career full of successes — and some setbacks. He carries in his luggage a gold medal in the 3,000 meters at the South American Youth Games, won at the age of 13, which was followed by years of shining in events from 1,500 meters to 10,000 meters. He also won first place in the Bicentennial Marathon of Peru last year, his inaugural race in the sport and which guaranteed him a spot in Tokyo.
An Achilles tendon injury, on the other hand, prevented him from completing the 2018 São Silvestre, at which point he almost gave up on athletics. In the Olympics, he also didn’t complete the race when he felt sick due to the strong heat, combined with little hydration, since Danielzinho couldn’t get water in the first points. This time, however, he returned to Kenya, where he trains, and kept his focus.
Linha de Chegada has already told the story of Danielzinho. Run here to find out more — and we look forward to the Brazilian’s next achievements.
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