Brazilian Olympic marathoner found alive after 44 days missing
Daniel Ferreira do Nascimento, the Brazilian marathon record holder who disappeared from his family’s home in June while carrying only a black backpack, has been found alive in São Paulo after 44 days missing.
Do Nascimento, 28, better known in Brazil as Danielzinho, had last been seen on June 19 in Paraguaçu Paulista, in the interior of São Paulo state. His mother, Valdirene de Paula Ferreira, told Brazilian news outlet g1 that he left home around 7 p.m. and did not return. Family members spent weeks searching, posting appeals online and asking for information.
Do Nascimento is one of the fastest marathoners South America has ever seen. He represented Brazil at the Tokyo Olympics and set the South American marathon record in 2022 when he ran 2:04:51 at the Seoul Marathon. Later that year, he finished eighth in the marathon at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Ore.
He also made headlines at the 2020 Olympic marathon in Tokyo for exchanging mid-race fist bumps with former world record holder Eliud Kipchoge. The moment went viral, making do Nascimento a well-known name in Brazil and the distance running world.
Found after 44 days
According to news outlet UOL, do Nascimento was found Saturday in Belenzinho, in the east zone of São Paulo, after a pedestrian recognized him on Rua Dr. Ubaldino do Amaral and contacted the Guarda Civil Metropolitana. Officers checked his information and confirmed his identity.
UOL reported that he appeared physically well and was taken to the 30th Police District in Tatuapé, where he was reunited with his family. In a video posted after he was found, do Nascimento said: “Everything is super calm now, and soon I’ll be back.”
He said he had walked from Ourinhos to São Paulo, a trip of roughly 370 kilometres. “I came sucking on sugarcane and, once in a while, an orange,” he said, adding that he drank water whenever he passed a gas station. The Polícia Civil has now registered the case as an “encontro de pessoa,” or located-person case, but they haven’t said what led to Nascimento’s disappearance, or where he was during the 44 days.
A record-breaking career
Do Nascimento’s running career has included major highs and serious lows. His 2:04:51 time at the Seoul Marathon is still the South American marathon record. At the 2022 New York City Marathon, he held the lead until late in the race, when he collapsed and was taken for medical care. He had also qualified for the Paris Olympics with a 2:07:06 at the 2023 Hamburg Marathon, but didn’t compete after testing positive for three banned substances in July 2024. The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) later handed him a five-year ban that runs until July 2029.
Nascimento’s mother told the media that he had been dealing with mental health issues after leaving competition.