South Sudanese runner thrilled to be part of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team

South Sudanese runner, Perina Nakang, says she’s thrilled to be part of the 36-strong  Refugee Olympic Team.

Based in Kenya, the 21-year-old will compete in the women's 880-metre, where she hopes to improve on her personal best time of two minutes, 12 seconds.

“I never imagined I would make it to the Olympics. I won a high school scholarship because of athletics. I wasn't even expecting to get it,” she says.

Perina was seven when she fled the war, along with her family. They found safety in Kenya’s Kakuma refugee camp.

It was here that she discovered her love for sports, albeit unintentionally. She first started playing football and basketball, but her friend encouraged her to switch to running.

Perina reached a turning point in 2022, when she came second in the women’s 100-metre race in Nairobi which was organised by Athletics Kenya.

Her athletic career was boosted again when she won a scholarship to attend the Shoe 4 Africa secondary school about 350 kilometres from Nairobi.

It was started by Kenyan long-distance runner and world record holder Mary Keitany. Perina is currently pursuing her high school education there.

Now, she rises at 5am daily to run alongside elite Kenyan athletes including Mary Moraa and Faith Kipyegon for up to 20 kilometres, which she says has greatly improved her speed and endurance.

And she trains under the watchful eye of 2007 World Championships gold medallist Janeth Jepkosgei.

“I am the first born in the family, the rest are still young. If I do well, I want to help my siblings through school and pay their fees,” she says.

“Now I am a runner. When I compete in the Olympics, my life will change. Now my life has improved. It’s not like it was before, now I feel alive.”

It is the third time a refugee team is taking part in the Olympics, representing around 120 million forcibly displaced people worldwide.