Mariana Diaz Ximenez

Mariana Diaz Ximenez, (born 13 December 1983), is an East Timorese athlete who specialises in the marathon.

A resident of Dili, she fled her home in 1999 after East Timor's declaration of independence from Indonesia, and the ensuing violence. When she returned to the capital, she "saw the Dili harbor filled with the bloated bodies of the dead".^[1]

In 2001, Diaz won a gold medal in the marathon at the Arafura Games in Australia.^[2] In 2002, she represented the newly independent country at the Asian Games in Busan, where she ran the marathon.^[3]

Having attempted unsuccessfully to qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Diaz will be one of the two representtatives of Timor-Leste at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.^[4]

References

1. ^ "Runners of East Timor Have Emerged as Symbols of Independence", New York Times, May 27, 2001
2. ^ "Games: Ramos Horta presents East Timor s latest gold medals", AAP, May 23, 2001
3. ^ "Girl's dream", Agence France-Presse, September 30, 2002
4. ^ "Poor but Proud", Agence France-Presse, June 8, 2008

Persondata
Name	Diaz Ximenez, Mariana
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Date of birth	13 December 1983
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