An Olympic Marathoner Has Been Reported Missing. His Mother Is Asking for Help Finding Him

Brazilian Olympic marathoner Daniel do Nascimento has been reported missing, leading to public pleas from his mother and Brazil’s national athletics federation.Do Nascimento has allegedly been missing for well over a month, according to the Brazilian Athletics Confederation, with an official missing persons report filed on July 27 by his family.“The Brazilian Athletics Confederation (CBAt) is calling for the mobilization of the athletics community in the search for athlete Daniel do Nascimento, the long-distance runner Danielzinho, who has been missing for almost 40 days, since June 19th,” the federation said.His mother, Valdirene Paula Ferreira, also posted on Instagram asking for help finding her son. In a translated version of the post, she wrote that do Nascimento left home around 7 p.m. on June 19 with only a black backpack.“Does anyone have any information about my son?” she wrote. “His name is Daniel Nascimento, better known as Armero.”Ferreira also wrote that her son “has psychological problems” and asked for “any valid information” that could help locate him.In an interview with The Sun, Ferreira described do Nascimento as someone who stayed close to her, even as his running career changed.“I would go to work and he would come with me. He was always a good boy,” she told the outlet. “Sometimes I used to take him out for a run. He would do some training sessions in secret in the middle of the sugarcane fields. I think he really missed the routine of being an athlete.”She added, “A thousand things go through your mind as a mother. I think I’ve lost about 10 kilos. Daniel’s siblings are also very worried. We just want him to show up.”Do Nascimento, 28, competed at the Tokyo Olympics in the marathon (he did not finish) and at the 2020 World Athletics Half Marathon Championships (he finished 93rd). He ran a personal best in the marathon at the Seoul Marathon in 2022, where he finished third in 2:04:51.At the 2022 New York City Marathon, after leading the men’s pack for much of the race, he collapsed around mile 21 while battling the day’s intense heat and humidity, and failed to finish the marathon.Do Nascimento was in the news just last year after it was reported he’d be serving a five-year suspension following an anti-doping violation, with the Athletics Integrity Unit saying there was “clear evidence of the athlete’s use of multiple prohibited substances.”As of now, the priority is finding do Nascimento and bringing him home safely. Anyone with information should contact the channels identified by his family or CBAt.Sean Abrams was the Senior Editor, Growth and Engagement at Men’s Health. He’s a former hip hop dancer who likes long walks on the beach and large glasses of tequila. You can find his previous work at Maxim, Elite Daily, and AskMen.