Olympics Inspiring Story

LOPEZ LOMONG: A "Lost Boy" found
First competition date: Aug. 8

AP
Lopez Lomong (center) spent a decade in Kenyan refugee camp after escaping violence in his native Sudan.
Lopez Lomong first ran to save his life.
Now he runs for two countries: Sudan, his violence-ravaged homeland, and the U.S., where he found hope.
Lomong, 23, qualified for the Beijing Olympics in the 1,500 meters at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials on July 6 – the first anniversary of his receiving U.S. citizenship.
He was ripped from his family at 6 when militia soldiers abducted him. But he escaped from their camp with the help of older boys.
During the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Lomong walked five miles and paid five shillings to watch awhile on TV. He witnessed Michael Johnson win gold in the 400 meters.
Soon after, an aid organization helped bring Lomong to America. With the help of the HBO show Real Sports, Lomong was reunited with his mother and brothers last year.
He now considers it his calling to raise awareness of the crisis in the Darfur region of western Sudan.
"God was planning all of this stuff for me, and I didn't know," reads a quote on Lomong's Web site. "Right now, similar terrible things are going on in Darfur; people are running out of Darfur, and I put myself in their shoes."