Behind every start from the blocks and every lap around the track are stories that began long before athletics. Stories shaped by war, family separation, and decisions made to survive. At the upcoming African Athletics Championships, to be held from May 12 to 17 in Accra, five members of the Refugee Athlete Team of World Athletics will compete with the same dream shared by millions of athletes: to show how far they can go.
Although they compete in different events and distances, Kun Waar Liem, Solomon Okeny, Abdifatah Aden Hassan, Lokoro Dario, and Perina Nakang arrive in Ghana with something more valuable than their personal bests. Each represents years of effort in refugee camps in Kenya, training far from their families, and a deeply held belief: their circumstances do not define the limits of their ambitions.
From Refuge to the Track: Stories Born in the Midst of Conflict
Kun Waar Liem was seven years old when the war in South Sudan forced her to flee to the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. Her parents escaped to Ethiopia, and she has not seen them since. What was once a place of safety eventually became the setting where she discovered her talent for the 200 meters. Today, she trains in Nairobi under the guidance of Duncan Ayiemba, alongside Africa’s fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala.
Solomon Okeny’s story also began in a refugee camp. He arrived in Kakuma with his mother and siblings and found an unexpected opportunity in athletics. What started as a race to win water and glucose turned into a life project. Today, he not only pursues his sporting goals but also uses his financial support to pay for his sisters’ education and help them stay in school. In every training session, the sprinter runs with the understanding that success can also be a way of caring for others.
A Continental Championship as a Gateway to New Opportunities
In Kaptagat, about 300 kilometers from Nairobi, Abdifatah Aden Hassan is fine-tuning his preparation for the 1,500 meters. The Ethiopian runner still does not know where his parents are, after being separated from them while fleeing conflict. His story is marked by uncertainty, but also by perseverance. Thanks to the refugee athlete scholarship program of the International Olympic Committee and the Tegla Loroupe Foundation, he found in athletics a way to rebuild his identity and envision a different future.
Lokoro Dario and Perina Nakang arrive with international experience and the certainty that every competition represents a new opportunity. Dario previously competed at the World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 2024, while Nakang has taken part in two World Championships and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Both train under Janeth Jepkosgei, the 2007 world champion in the 800 meters. In Accra, they will seek not only to improve their performances, but also to honor the journey that has taken them from refugee camps to the major stages of African athletics.
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