TeamRefugees: Paulo Amotun Lokoro

Just a few short years ago, Paulo Amotun Lokoro was a young herder guarding his family's few cattle on the plains of what is now South Sudan. He says he "knew nothing" of the world except his own homeland, which had been at war for almost all his life. The effects of that conflict pushed him to flee to neighbouring Kenya, where he has developed new, grand ambitions: "I want to be world champion," he says.

Living in a refugee camp, Paulo excelled in school sports, ultimately gaining a spot on the refugee squad now training near Nairobi under the guidance of Tegla Loroupe, the renowned Kenyan runner who holds several world records. "Before I came here I did not even have training shoes," he says. "Now we have trained and trained, until we see ourselves at a good level, and now we know fully how to be athletes."

The effort paid off: Paulo is going to Rio. "I am so happy," he says. "I know I am racing on behalf of refugees. I was one of those refugees there in the camp, and now I have reached somewhere special. I will meet so many people. My people will see me on the television, on Facebook." Still, his aim is simple: "If I perform well, I will use that to help support my family, and my people."

TeamRefugees: Paulo Amotun Lokoro