The orphaned refugee planning to make Olympic history
Dominic Lobalu, a 25-year-old South Sudanese-born runner, has been given the chance to represent his adopted nation in the Paris 2024 Olympics. Two months ago, he was ruled out of competing at the Tokyo 2020 Games after claiming asylum in Switzerland, making him ineligible to compete for refugee teams.
Lobalu’s journey began in Sudan, where he grew up in a small village affected by civil war. He fled with his family but was separated from them and ended up in an orphanage in Kenya. He later moved to Switzerland, where he began training as a runner.
After winning two medals at the European Championships in May, Lobalu was invited to join the Refugee Olympic Team by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). He will compete in the 5,000m event in Paris.
Lobalu’s past experiences motivate him on the track. “I don’t want to go back to that life,” he said. “The life that I had there is more painful than the running.” He also dreams of helping his two older sisters still living in Kenya leave their difficult situation behind.
Lobalu’s Olympic dream began when he watched Mo Farah win gold at the London Games in 2012. He started training and competed barefoot in a 10km race at the Kakuma refugee camp in 2015, finishing second. Two years later, he competed in the heats of the 1500m at the World Championships in London.
Despite facing setbacks, including being ruled out of competing for the Refugee Olympic Team in Tokyo due to his asylum status, Lobalu has persevered and is now one step away from achieving his goal of representing Switzerland in Paris.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/articles/cd1dp0dzgl8o