Sports: Lopez Lomong And Achievements He Has Made In Athletics (Essay Sample)

Lopez Lomong Name Institutional Affiliation Lopez Lomong It has been a remarkable journey for the 27-year-old, a former lost child and a refugee from South Sudan. He fled the civil war in Sudan between the 1980s and 1990s. He narrated how one Sunday morning rebels broke into their village’s church and forcefully took him away from his mother. All the kids were kidnapped and taken to a training camp so that they would serve as child soldiers. The conditions at the training camp were not favorable and sometimes they were fed a mix of sand and sorghum. The horrible conditions at the camp instigated his escape. He described his first race as an escape from the training camp when the soldiers were busy smoking and laughed around them. Together with his friend, he ran for three days and nights thinking that he was heading home, only to end up in Kenya. From that point onwards, he was registered as a refugee and spent his next ten years in a camp. While running and playing football in Kenya, he started hearing some kids talk about Olympics (Hosea, 2012). First, he never knew what the Olympics were but went to wealthier Kenyan personality houses to watch it on TV. It’s during the time that Lomong saw Michael Johnson shed tears after winning the race. He later came to realize those athletes were running for greater things than they were; they were running for their countries. He also had the dream of running for the U.S since Michael Johnson was his role model from that time onwards. His dreams came true when the country accepted to take 3500 Sudanese refugees as part of the government resettlement. What I found out He lived with a foster family while starting training in tracks and the field. At one point, he even met Johnson who encouraged him to participate in Olympic trials. In 2008, he was among the athletes who qualified for 1500m besides carrying the U.S flag during the beginning of the ceremony (Hosea, 2012). He reveals that the secret of succeeding at the Olympic Games is through unity since there are swimmers, wrestlers, and athletes who have to work together to bring success home Despite being determined to win medal for his adopted country, he has never given u in creating a difference for his home country (Ellis, 2012). Lomong has never forgotten his homeland and frequently pays visits to his family members after the reunion. He also started a charitable organization named 4 South Sudan. He is in charge of raising money and gives back his achievements to the community through the provision of basic needs such ...