MANCHESTER — He first came to New Hampshire as a desperate refugee from a country torn by religious war.

Friday, Guor Marial returned to New Hampshire as a hero, not for winning an Olympic medal, but for introducing the world to the nation which rose, barely a year ago, from the soil of the land where his brother and other family members were tortured and killed at the hands of an invading oppressive regime.

He ran as an unaffiliated athlete, but he ran for the others in New Hampshire who are also refugees from the war in his homeland.

“I was not competing for South Sudan or wearing the South Sudan jersey or didn't come with a team from South Sudan,” Marial said. “But my being there allowed South Sudan to be recognized by the world community.”

South Sudan declared its independence from the Republic of the Sudan in July, 2011 after years of insurrection and civil war.

By then, Marial had escaped, making his way through Egypt to refugee status in the United States. He came to New Hampshire and attended Concord High School.

He took up track at Concord High, earning a scholarship to Iowa State University. He qualified for the Olympics in just his second marathon race.

Marial's trip to the marathon starting line in London came after a bureaucratic odyssey every bit as grueling as the 26-mile, 385-yard road race. He participated as an independent athlete, since he is not a United States citizen, South Sudan has not yet formalized Olympic participation and he rejected an offer to join the team from Sudan.

He was welcomed back to New Hampshire by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who took up his cause over the summer, pleading with international Olympic officials to allow him to participate without a geopolitical affiliation.

“It's clear that Guor not only has the talent to be successful, he has the strength of character to be successful,” Shaheen said. “New Hampshire is very proud.”

He finished 47th in only his third marathon, but ran two minutes faster than his best time. He looks forward to competing in the next Olympics, four years from now in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“It was a great experience, to be in that situation in the Olympics and see most of the best athletes,” Marial said. “Next, I will train hard and I project my goal to 2016.”

Going from a wartime refugee to a world-class athlete was no easy task. There were discouraging days. Marial's high school coach, Rusty Cofrin of Concord High, said it reached a low point when his brother died in Sudan. Marial wanted to quit.

“I sat him down, I grabbed his shoulders and I looked him in the eyes and I said, 'I'm not going to let you quit,'” Cofrin said. “'You don't see down the road, but I can, I can see through all the (stuff) you're going through right now and I see a young kid going to college getting the education and being able to run.”

While he may train and compete elsewhere, Marial considers New Hampshire home.

“My base is New Hampshire, but I can train in Flagstaff (Ariz.) or I can go to Africa and train in Kenya,” he said.

There are other marathon races to be run in the four years before the next Olympics. Marial hopes to be close to New Hampshire's South Sudanese community in one of them.

“Boston is coming up next year, we'll see, it has been a goal,” Marial said. “I almost ran this year but I was injured.”

At Concord High, Cofrin used to take Marial into his office on the first Monday in April, when the Boston Marathon is run.

“He would say, 'There is no class today, we are watching Boston,' ” Marial said. “I've been watching it ever since high school.”

Just ahead is a visit to Washington, where he will tell his story to officials and staff at the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement.

“The Olympic spirit is one of triumph over adversity, and I have met no one who better embodies that spirit than Guor,” Shaheen said in welcoming him back to his adopted home state.

Having Marial back in their midst may intensify the pride the Sudanese community in New Hampshire takes in his accomplishments.

“I heard a lot of congratulation from them and they are very proud of what I did,” Marial said. “I am very proud of myself for being able to give them that opportunity.”

billsmith@unionleader.com