Lopez (Lopepe) Lomong is a Sudanese-born American track and field athlete. During the Second Sudanese Civil War at the age of six he was abducted by militia recruiting child soldiers. He was helped to escape by others from his village. The four of them ran for three days until they crossed the border in Kenya. There he lived in Kakuma refugee camp for ten years. One of the Lost Boys of Sudan, Lomong came to the United States at age 16 and became a U.S. citizen in 2007.
Lomong attended Tully High School in Tully, NY, entering at a 10th grade level. In high school, he helped lead the cross country and track teams to sectional and state titles, and later competed for Northern Arizona University. In 2007, Lomong was the division I NCAA indoor champion at 3000 meters and the outdoor champion at 1500 meters. He became a naturalized citizen of the United States on July 6, 2007.
Lomong qualified for 2008 Summer Olympics in the 1500 meters at the United States Olympic track and field trials in Eugene, Oregon. Lomong is a member of Team Darfur, a group of athletes urging China to exert pressure on the Sudanese government to address the War in Darfur.
He was the flag bearer for the United States during the 2008 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony.
Source: wikipedia
In the media:
Olympic runner Lopez Lomong’s incredible life story continues
Michael Phelps is already yesterday’s news. Lopez Lomong was last week’s, yesterday’s, today’s and generations to come. Phelps’ place is secure in the record books, Lomong’s in our hearts.
Where Once He Was Lost, Now He Is Found
In a half-hour monologue here on Friday, just 10 hours before he was to carry the flag, Lomong told a tale of grief, endurance, redemption and almost unimaginable hardship that captures in human terms every aspect of the Darfur tragedy. And without Lomong saying a single “controversial” political word, he highlighted China’s culpability by cynically supporting the Sudanese regime as partner in the vast oil company PetroChina.
Additional links:
Team Darfur is an international association of athletes devoted to raising awareness of humanitarian crises related to War in Darfur. In particular, Team Darfur criticized China’s economic and diplomatic support for the Sudanian government headed by Omar al-Bashir. Team Darfur attempted to exert pressure on the Chinese government by associating the Beijing Olympics with China’s involvement in Darfur.
