trackrunner
08-06-2008, 10:01 AM
Lopez Lomang a lost boy from Sudan now US citizen representing his adoptive country was choosen to cary his nation's flag into the Olympic Stadium. :flag:
Lopez and I ran against each other in college several times each year and I've gotten to know him a little over that time. I've gone on cool down & training runs with him & can say he is a class act and one of the nicest/humble people I've ever met.
I'm glad he was choosen to represent this country in both the US Olympic track team and to lead the US deligation into the stadium by carring the flag. :flag:
He got into running because he was kidnapped and forced to be a child soldier during their civil war in the 90's he didn't want to be a child soldier and they killed those kids that refused to fight. So one night he and few friends snuck under the razor wire fence and ran for their lifes, They ran for days outrunning the militia, lions, etc until they crossed into Kenya and placed in a refugee camp.
Running became a hoby of his to pass time in the camp.
He stayed there several years thinking his family was murdered. Charity relief workers noticed his desire to excel in school work and found a placement with a US family that later adopted him.
Last year he found out his family survived and was reunited with them in Kenya.
(I had another friend that fled the Sudan Civil war and seperated from part of his family. He stuck with his sister and eventually recieved word that his mother was living in SLC where he ended up moving to. He too was a great runner and ran in college. While in college he recieved word his Dad was alive living in London. He saved up his money to fly out to meet him, but his dad died of a heart attack before the reunion. This brought back PTS for him and he never was the same again.)
Lopez and I ran against each other in college several times each year and I've gotten to know him a little over that time. I've gone on cool down & training runs with him & can say he is a class act and one of the nicest/humble people I've ever met.
I'm glad he was choosen to represent this country in both the US Olympic track team and to lead the US deligation into the stadium by carring the flag. :flag:
He got into running because he was kidnapped and forced to be a child soldier during their civil war in the 90's he didn't want to be a child soldier and they killed those kids that refused to fight. So one night he and few friends snuck under the razor wire fence and ran for their lifes, They ran for days outrunning the militia, lions, etc until they crossed into Kenya and placed in a refugee camp.
Running became a hoby of his to pass time in the camp.
He stayed there several years thinking his family was murdered. Charity relief workers noticed his desire to excel in school work and found a placement with a US family that later adopted him.
Last year he found out his family survived and was reunited with them in Kenya.
(I had another friend that fled the Sudan Civil war and seperated from part of his family. He stuck with his sister and eventually recieved word that his mother was living in SLC where he ended up moving to. He too was a great runner and ran in college. While in college he recieved word his Dad was alive living in London. He saved up his money to fly out to meet him, but his dad died of a heart attack before the reunion. This brought back PTS for him and he never was the same again.)