Lopez Lomong

Lopez Lomong (born January 5, 1985) is a South Sudanese-born American track and field athlete.

Lomong's actual birthdate is January 5, 1985, but like all Lost Boys who came to the United States without paperwork, his official birthday is listed as January 1.

Lopez Lomong and his family belong to the Buya (also spelled Boya) ethnic group of southeastern South Sudan, who speak the Laarim language.

Lomong was a victim of the Second Sudanese Civil War.

A Catholic, he was abducted at age six while attending Catholic Mass and assumed dead by his family and buried in absentia.

He nearly died in captivity, but was helped to escape by others from his village.

The four of them ran for three days until they crossed the border into Kenya.

Lomong spent ten years in the Kakuma refugee camp in Turkana County, northeastern Kenya before being moved to the United States through the Unaccompanied Refugee Minor program by Toomey Residential and Community Services.

His name "Lopez" was a nickname from the refugee camp that he later adopted officially.

He was inspired to become a runner after watching Michael Johnson at the 2000 Summer Olympics on television.

Lomong is one of the Lost Boys of Sudan.

He was resettled in the United States in 2001 through the Unaccompanied Refugee Minor program with Robert and Barbara Rogers, in New York State.

The Rogers have since gone on to help many other Sudanese refugees.

Although he originally assumed his parents had been killed by the Sudan People's Liberation Army, he was reunited with his mother and family, who now live outside Nairobi, in 2003.

He first returned to his native village of Kimotong in December 2006.

Lomong, one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, came to the United States at the age of 16 and became a U.S. citizen in 2007.

In 2007, Lomong was the division I NCAA indoor champion at 3000 meters and the outdoor champion at 1500 meters while competing for Northern Arizona.

He became a naturalized citizen of the United States on July 6, 2007.

Lomong qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics in the 1500 meters at the United States Olympic track and field trials in Eugene, Oregon.

He was the flag bearer for the United States during the 2008 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony.

He is currently 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 returned to Sudan again in 2008 with an organization called Sudan Sunrise to begin construction of the Lopez Lomong School and Reconciliation Church.

Lomong qualified for the US Olympic Team on July 6, 2008, one year after gaining his US citizenship.

"Now I'm not just one of the 'Lost Boys,'" he told reporters.

"I'm an American."

After his success at the collegiate level, Lopez signed a contract with Nike and began competing professionally.

He specializes in the 1500m run but is a serious contender in every mid-distance race from 800m up to and including the 5k.

Lopez finished 5th in the 800m finals during the 2008 US Olympic Trials, which he ran as part of his training for the 1500m.

Lomong was chosen by the team captains of the US Olympic team to carry the US flag in the Opening Ceremony at the 2008 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony.

The U.S. Olympic team captains said that Lomong deserved the honor of flagbearer because he was so proud of his citizenship.

Lopez is a member of Team Darfur.

In the weeks leading up to the Olympics Lomong spoke often about the need to raise awareness for the violence in Darfur.

Since his selection as flagbearer he has been careful not to criticize China directly, choosing instead to focus on the inspirational side of his story.

"I'm here to compete for my country," Lomong told reporters when they asked questions about human rights.

In early 2009 he traveled back to bring his younger brothers, Alex and Peter, back to the United States to attend school at Fork Union Military Academy.

Following in the footsteps of their elder brother Lopez, Peter Lomong ran for Northern Arizona University, while Alex Lomong ran for Ohio State University.

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 after briefly attending Norfolk State University, later competed for Northern Arizona University.

Lomong's autobiography, Running for My Life, was published in 2012, co-written with Mark Tabb.

Lopez Lomong was born Lopepe Lomong in Kimotong, an ethnic Buya village in Budi County, Namorunyang State, South Sudan to Awei Lomong and Rita Namana.