Mile News


NAU’s Lomong among Big Sky’s greatest

December 22, 2013

Two-time Olympian, 3:51 Miler and Lost Boy of Sudan's story #19 on "50 Greatest Men’s Moments” of conference’s 50th anniversary celebration

By NAU Sports Information

No Big Sky Conference athlete’s story has received as much national attention in recent years than the journey of Lopez Lomong. Lomong’s story comes in at #19 on the Big Sky Conference’s “50 Greatest Men’s Moments” in celebration of the conference’s 50th anniversary.

A “Lost Boy of Sudan,” Lomong rose from near death in Africa to an NCAA national championship at Northern Arizona, to an American Olympic hero. In 2008, he carried the United States flag at the opening ceremonies in at the Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

Lomong was born in 1985 in Kimotong, Sudan. At the age of six, during a church service, he was taken at gun-point by armed soldiers. As a young prisoner, he endured weeks of harsh captivity and was given only the option to become a child soldier or try to survive the one-room prison where scores of young boys slept, lived and died from dysentery.

“I saw kids dying every day and I would say, ‘OK, maybe next time it’s going to be me,’” Lomong told CNN in 2012. “That basically changed my life and from that moment, I’m no longer six years old, I became an adult.”

Continue reading at: http://azdailysun.com

Tags: lopez lomong (18)

Facebook Comments

Return the Mile to prominence on the American & worldwide sports and cultural landscape by elevating and celebrating the Mile to create a movement.

ELEVATE
Bring Back the Mile as the premier event in the sport, and increase interest in and media coverage of the Mile for both those who love the distance as well as the general public.

CELEBRATE
Bring Back the Mile to celebrate the storied distance and to recognize the people who made and make the Mile great and to promote Mile events and the next generation of U.S. Milers.

NATIONAL MOVEMENT
Bring Back the Mile to create a national movement for the Mile as America’s Distance,
to inspire Americans to run the Mile as part of their fitness program and to replace the 1600 meters at High School State Track & Field Meets across the country.

Become a Mile Maniac member or a BBTM sponsor today! Join us, and go Mile!

Join Us

Thanks for joining the movement and being a Mile Maniac. We'll keep you up to-date with our Mile wires as well as exclusive contests and opportunities. Help us spread the word by sharing our site and joining us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram!