London 2012 Athletics: No flag, no problem for Guor Marial

Guor Marial touched three letters on the right side of his singlet, then pounded the left side of his chest with his fist in a subtle but significant gesture to describe his Olympic experience.

Marial competed in the marathon on Sunday as an independent runner under the banner of the International Olympic Committee after fleeing a refugee camp in what is now South Sudan during a civil war more than a decade ago.

While other runners wore the colors and ran under the flags of their countries, Marial wore a predominantly black and gray uniform with "I.O.A." printed on the chest. He finished 47th, 11:31 minutes behind the winning time.

The time was of little consequence.