Sports, games, and recreation

Marian Enache

Marian Florin Enache, Romanian rower (born 1995, Târgu Cărbunești), Olympic champion in men's double sculls with Andrei-Sebastian Cornea at Paris 2024, Romania's first men's sculling medal; also 2024 European champion.

Marián Gáborík

Marián Gáborík, Slovak ice hockey forward born 1982 in Trenčín; drafted third overall by Minnesota Wild in 2000, scored Wild's first goal, won 2014 Stanley Cup with Los Angeles, retired 2021 with 815 NHL points.

Marián Hossa

Marián Hossa, Slovak ice hockey right wing (born 1979, Stará Ľubovňa), 1997 first-round pick of Ottawa; 1,134 points in 1,309 NHL games, three Stanley Cups with Chicago, Hall of Fame 2020, jersey No. 81 retired by the Blackhawks.

Marian Kasprzyk

Marian Kasprzyk (Marian Krzysztof Kasprzyk), Polish amateur boxer nicknamed 'Polski Papp'; Olympic welterweight gold at Tokyo 1964 despite a broken thumb, light-welterweight bronze at Rome 1960; never a Polish national champion; died 2 February 2026.

Mariana Avitia

Mariana Avitia is a Mexican recurve archer from Monterrey who won the individual bronze medal at the 2012 Olympic Games, achieving a world ranking of 5 and competing in 2008.

Mariana Pajon

Mariana Pajón (Mariana Pajón Londoño), Colombian BMX racer born 1991 in Medellín, nicknamed Queen of BMX; two-time Olympic champion (London 2012, Rio 2016), Tokyo 2020 silver, 18-time world champion, only Colombian with two Olympic golds.

Marianna

Marianna (Cinquecento, 500 in Sicily) is an Italian four-player partnership trick-taking game related to Briscola, where declaring king-queen marriages scores 40-100 points and sets or changes the trump suit; game to 501.

Marianne Adam

Marianne Adam (born 1951, Luckenwalde) is a German former shot putter for East Germany; two-time Olympian (5th 1972, 4th 1976), 1974 European silver medallist, and world record holder at 21.60 m (1975) and 21.67 m (1976).

Marianne Fatton

Marianne Fatton, Swiss ski mountaineering racer born 1995 in Neuchâtel; first Olympic champion in the sport, winning the women's sprint at Milano Cortina 2026 plus mixed relay silver; 2025 sprint world champion at Morgins and 2020 overall World Cup winner.

Marianne Florman

Marianne Florman (Marianne Florman Christensen), Danish handball player born 1964 in Frederiksberg; won women's handball gold for Denmark at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, later TV host, author, and horse-therapy leadership coach.

Marianne Heemskerk

Marianne Heemskerk (Marianne Yvonne Heemskerk-Oudkerk), Dutch butterfly swimmer born 1944 in Rotterdam; 1960 Rome Olympic silver in 100 m butterfly and 1960 world record 200 m butterfly (2:34.4).

Marianne Pettersen

Marianne Pettersen (Marianne Iren Pettersen), Norwegian striker born 1975 in Oslo; 1995 Women's World Cup and 2000 Olympic champion with Norway, 98 caps and 66 goals, and record 122-goal scorer in the Norwegian Toppserien.

Marianne Timmer

Marianne Timmer (Maria Aaltje Timmer), Dutch speed skater born 1974 in Sappemeer; three Olympic golds (1000 m and 1500 m Nagano 1998, 1000 m Turin 2006), world 1000 m champion 1997 and 1999, World Sprint champion 2004, retired 2010.

Marianne Vos

Marianne Vos, Dutch cyclist born 1987, rides for Visma | Lease a Bike. Olympic gold 2008 (track) and 2012 (road), 15 world titles across cyclo-cross, road, track, and gravel; first two-time elite gravel world champion (2026).

Mariano Díaz

Mariano Díaz Mejía (Mariano Díaz), Spanish-Dominican centre-forward born 1993 in Premià de Mar; Real Madrid academy product, Lyon 2017-18 breakout (21 goals), two Madrid spells with 12 goals and major trophies, now at Deportivo Alavés and the Dominican Republic national team.

Mariano Gonzalez

Mariano Nicolás González (Speedy), born 1981 in Tandil, Argentine midfielder; 2004 Athens Olympic gold medalist; played for Racing, Palermo, Inter Milan, FC Porto; later Santamarina manager.

Mariano Rivera

Mariano Rivera, Panamanian Yankees closer (1995–2013), all-time saves leader with 652, first unanimous Hall of Fame electee (2019); known for his cutter, 0.70 postseason ERA, five World Series titles.

Marians Pahars

Marians Pahars, born 1976, Latvian striker for Skonto FC and Southampton FC, 75 caps and 15 goals for Latvia, EURO 2004 player, later Latvia head coach (2013-2017) and LFF sporting director (2021-2024).

Marias

Marias (Mariáš) is the national trick-taking card game of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, a three-player marriage-group game with a 32-card German-suited pack, contracts from Suit to Open Durch, 20/40 marriages, and seven and 100 bonuses.

Maribel Martinez

Maribel Martínez de Murguía, Spanish field hockey goalkeeper born 1967 in Madrid; substitute goalkeeper of Spain's Barcelona 1992 Olympic gold-medal team, the first Spanish team Olympic gold; later goalkeeper coach and talent coach.

Maricica Puica

Maricica Puică (née Luca, born 1950, Iași), Romanian middle-distance runner; won the first Olympic women's 3000 m gold in 8:35.96 at Los Angeles 1984 plus 1500 m bronze, and set three world records.

Maricica Taran

Maricica Titie Țăran (Iordache), born 1962, Romanian rower; Olympic gold in coxed quadruple sculls at Los Angeles 1984, world silver and bronze in quadruple sculls, later competed for West Germany.

Marie Baron

Marie Baron (Mietje Baron, later du Puy; 1908–1948), Dutch swimmer and diver of ODZ Rotterdam. 1928 Olympic 200 m breaststroke silver behind Hilde Schrader; disqualified in 1924 despite the fastest time; held 200 m and 400 m breaststroke world records.

Marie Braun

Marie Braun, nicknamed Zus, was a Dutch swimmer who won gold in the 100 meters backstroke at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, the first Dutchwoman to win an individual Olympic event.

Marie Claire Restoux

Marie-Claire Restoux (Restoux-Gasset), French judoka born 1968 in La Rochefoucauld, -52 kg specialist. Olympic champion Atlanta 1996 and double world champion (Chiba 1995, Paris 1997), bronze at Birmingham 1999.

Marie Corridon

Marie Corridon (Marie Louise Corridon-Mortell, 1930–2010), American swimmer of the Women's Swimming Association of New York; 1948 Olympic gold medalist in the 4x100 m freestyle relay and ninth-place finisher in the 100 m freestyle.

Marie Dollinger

Marie Dollinger (Maria Dollinger-Hendrix, 1910-1994), German sprinter and 800m runner; only pre-WWII German track athlete at three Olympics (1928-36); 800m world record 2:16.8 (1931), 4x100m relay world record 46.4 (1936), twice fourth in the Olympic 100m.