This is just heartbreaking.
Former Brazilian Olympic marathoner Daniel Nascimento has now been missing for more than a month, and his desperate family is begging for help as the search continues. According to CNN Brasil, Nascimento was last seen on June 19 at around 7 p.m. in Paraguacu Paulista, Brazil, carrying a black backpack. A family member told the outlet he did not have a cell phone with him when he disappeared.
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His mother, Valdirene Paula Ferreira, took to Instagram on Monday with an emotional public plea, writing in Spanish:
“Does anyone have any info on my son? His name is Daniel Nascimento. Better known [by the nickname] Armero. He was a marathon runner (he has shown mental health issues).”
Just awful.
And in a second post on Tuesday, she wished him a happy birthday while still pleading for him to be found safe and sound (below):
So sad…
Ferreira later told Brazilian newspaper Métropoles that police were investigating a report that Daniel may have been spotted about 22 miles away in Assis, where he reportedly asked someone for water while saying he “still had a long way to walk.”
According to the New York Post, the family did not officially report him missing until Monday — the night before his 28th birthday.
The athlete’s disappearance comes after an incredibly difficult chapter in his career. Nascimento is serving a five-year suspension after testing positive for three different steroids shortly before the 2024 Paris Olympics, ending his hopes of competing there and ruling him out of the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
He previously represented Brazil at the delayed Tokyo Olympics and was also remembered for leading the New York City Marathon for more than 20 miles before collapsing from exhaustion.
As concern grows, the Brazilian Athletics Confederation has also urged the track and field community to help find him, saying:
“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.”
Speaking to the Sun, Ferreira said her son had struggled mentally after his suspension from competition:
“I would go to work and he would come with me. He was always a good boy. 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 also shared the emotional toll the ordeal has taken on their family:
“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.”
Such a devastating situation.
We can only hope Daniel is found safe and reunited with his loved ones soon…