U.S. Olympian Lopez Lomong visits The Woodlands Christian Academy

THE WOODLANDS, TX – Lopez Lomong, a Sudanese refugee “lost boy” who came to the United States in 2001 and went on to become a US Olympian who proudly represented his adopted country, visited the TWCA campus on Wednesday, November 13, 2024.

Lomong was clear in what he hoped the students at TWCA would take away from his visit. “I want them to know how important they are and to realize and appreciate what they have," he said. "That they have a voice to use.”

In the morning, students in the lower school met Lomong on the school’s track with many tiny, aspiring runners challenging him to a race.

Lomong then participated in Q&A sessions with middle school students where fifth-grade student Madeline Moore asked a question about the three young men who helped him run to safety and whom Lomong refers to as his “angels” in his book, "Running for My Life."

“Why did the three angels pick you to save,” Madeline asked.

Lomong replied, “They knew my brother Abraham and made the decision to protect me. Without them, I would not be alive or here with you today.”

The running that led to his escape as a child and then a way of expressing himself in his new, adopted country has turned into running for a different reason. "Running saved my life," Lomong said. "Now I am running to tell the story of the kids still in South Sudan to bring them help and clean water.”

Seventh-grade bible student Durham Rodriguez asked Lomong if being in the Olympics had an effect on his faith.

“It actually strengthened it," Lomong replied. "In the Olympic Village, there is a chapel...Leaning on my faith helped me as an Olympian during that time [and] made it stronger.”

His day concluded by sharing his story with high school students in the Ruth Auditorium, but not before lunch with TWCA’s Cross Country team. The student-athletes had the opportunity to ask Lomong questions and gain insight into his perspectives on succeeding as an athlete. One of the most notable tips he gave them was to "just remove your watch."

He told them it is important to just get on the trails and run for the sake of the joy it brings and to appreciate the nature around them without trying to time everything.

One athlete asked if he ever got the feeling he wanted to just stop [running].

“Once you get to the point of that mindset, you’re actually almost there. You’re almost to greatness. You’re on the edge of it. You must decide not to give up,” Lomong encouraged.

Lomong’s resounding message to all the students was about purpose and perseverance. For himself, the only way to express himself when he got to the United States was through running, and that was where he found his own sense of purpose.

Lomong is preparing to run the Tokyo Marathon in March 2025 for Team World Vision.

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