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Photo of Sydney Maree

Photo: Gotfryd, Bernard, photographer / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)

Sydney Maree

シドニー・マレー / しどにー・まれー

Athletics competitor from South Africa

September 9, 1956 (age 69) ・ Cullinan, Gauteng, South Africa

  • Gauteng
  • athletics competitor

My Take

Sydney Maree's story moves me beyond the stopwatch. Born in apartheid-era South Africa, where its athletes were locked out of international sport, he crossed an ocean, ran for Villanova, and became the first South African to break 3:30 in the 1500m, later competing as an American. To me that's not a tale of speed but of self-determination, of carving out a place to belong when the system tried to deny it. A middle-distance runner needs both intellect and grit, and his career through the 1980s shows plenty of both. I admire him most as a man who literally ran his way to freedom of opportunity.

Overview

Sydney Maree OIS (born September 9, 1956) is a former middle distance runner who competed at the international level in the 1980s. He was the first South African to run officially under 3:30 in the 1500m. He was born in Cullinan, South Africa, but later became a U.S. citizen, running for the United States in various competitions.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

1. Profile

Name (English)
Sydney Maree
Name (Japanese)
シドニー・マレー
Reading
しどにー・まれー
Born
September 9, 1956 (age 69)
Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
Virgo / Monkey
Origin
Cullinan, Gauteng, South Africa
Blood type
Private
Height
180 cm
Agency
Private
Occupation
athletics competitor

2. Background

Elementary school
Private
Junior high
Private
High school
Private
University
Villanova University

Awards & achievements

  • 1987 Bislett medal

3. Relationships

Spouse
Private
Children
Private
Parents
Private
Siblings
Private

4. Personality

Motto

Private

Athletics competitor — see all → · More people from South Africa →

7. About this entry

Tags

  • Gauteng
  • athletics competitor
Last updated
2026-06-02

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.