Sudan’s Lost Boy Leads U.S. Olympic Team

One of Sudan’s “lost boys”, Lopez Lomong, tonight became the thirteenth track and field athlete to lead the U.S. Olympic team, at the opening ceremony in Beijing.

Runner Lopez Lomong of the United States carries his country's flag during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

One of Sudan’s “lost boys”, Lopez Lomong, tonight became the thirteenth track and field athlete to lead the U.S. Olympic team, at the opening ceremony in Beijing.

Lomong escaped the violence in Sudan to spend 10 years in a Kenyan refugee camp. From there he was picked for adoption into an American family. The 23 year old runner was chosen to lead the U.S. contingent by the sports team captains on August 6.

Lomong’s aspirations for Olympic glory started back in Africa when he saw Michael Johnson running at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 on an old black and white television.

“I got inspired by that and that’s why I knew that I was going to make it to the Olympics one day. I didn’t know what country, but here we are,” said Lomong.

The 1500 meter runner who is competing for the first time on the international stage is also a member of Team Darfur. The advocacy organization uses Olympian and professional athletes to highlight the humanitarian problems facing the Sudanese region.

“I lived in that life before. That’s why I’m a member of Team Darfur because I was in that situation before and me coming here, I’m here to compete for my country, said Lomong.