Anjelina Nadai Lohalith (born 1993, credited as January 1) is a

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

athlete originally from

South Sudan South Sudan (), officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the north by Sudan; on the east by Ethiopia; on the south by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya; and on the ...

, but now living and training in

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

. She competed as part of the

Refugee Olympic Team The Refugee Olympic Team is a group made up of independent Olympic participants who are refugees. In March 2016, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach announced the creation of the Refugee Olympic Athletes Team, as a symbol ...

at the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

Early life

Lohalith was born in South Sudan. In 2001 when Lohalith was eight years old she had to leave her home during the

Second Sudanese Civil War The Second Sudanese Civil War was a conflict from 1983 to 2005 between the central Sudanese government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement, Sudan People's Liberation Army. It was largely a continuation of the First Sudanese Civil Wa ...

as the conflict and violence closed in on her village with landmines being found near her home. She was separated from her parents as they sent her to Kenya for safety. She arrived in northern Kenya in 2002, settling in the Kakuma refugee camp. While attending primary school in the camp she took up running.

Career

When professional coaches came to Kakuma to hold selection trials for a special training camp, they identified Lohalith's athletic ability and she was selected to train under Olympic champion marathon runner

Tegla Loroupe Tegla Chepkite Loroupe (born 9 May 1973) is a former Kenyan long-distance track and road runner. She is also a global spokeswoman for peace, women's rights and education. Loroupe holds the world records for 25 and 30 kilometers and previousl ...

at her sports foundation in Nairobi. Here, the 1500m runner trains with four other runners from South Sudan who will participate in the Olympic refugee team at Rio 2016. who has been selected by the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...

(IOC) to compete for the

in the women's

1500 m The 1500 metres or 1500-metre run is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletics since 1983. It is equivalent to 1.5 kilometer ...

at the

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, Brazil. Lohalith placed 40th out of 41 runners in Round 1 of the event with a time of 4:47.38. She did not advance. Lohalith hopes that through her success in running she will be able to help her parents who she has not seen since she was 8 years old.

Provisional suspension

On 30 April 2024, Lohalith was issued with a provisional suspension by the

Athletics Integrity Unit The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) is a Monaco-based organization founded by World Athletics in April 2017 to combat doping and address other forms of ethical misconduct in the sport of athletics. It operates independently from World Athletics ...

in relation to "''Presence/Use of a Prohibited Substance (

Trimetazidine Trimetazidine (IUPAC: 1-(2,3,4-trimethoxybenzyl)piperazine) is a drug sold under many brand names for angina pectoris (chest pain associated with impaired blood flow to the heart). Trimetazidine is described as the first cytoprotective anti-i ...

)''" under anti-doping rules.

Competitions

References

External links

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Article about Lohalith
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lohalith, Anjelina South Sudanese refugees Place of birth missing (living people) Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Olympics Refugee Olympic Team at the 2016 Summer Olympics Refugee Olympic Team at the 2020 Summer Olympics South Sudanese expatriate sportspeople in Kenya 1993 births Living people South Sudanese female middle-distance runners Athlete Refugee Team at the World Athletics Championships