TeamRefugees: Anjelina Nadai Lohalith
Anjelina Nadai Lohalith has not seen or spoken to her parents since she was six years old and was forced to flee her home in southern Sudan. As war closed in on her village, "everything was destroyed," she says. Anjelina has heard that they are still alive, although "last year the hunger was very tough." Helping her parents is her main motivation as she steps up her training ahead of competing in the 1,500-metre event in Rio.
She knew she was good at athletics after winning school competitions at the refugee camp where she now lives in northern Kenya. But it was only when professional coaches came to select athletes for a special training camp that she realised just how fast she was. "It was a surprise," she says.
Now she wants to run well in Rio de Janeiro, and then earn places at major international races with significant prize money. "If you have money, then your life can change and you will not remain the way you have been," Anjelina says. The first thing she would do with a big win? "Build my father a better house."