From childhood injury to European title and Olympic berth, Lobalu talks about his remarkable journey and the importance of inspiring others.
The moment of the medal was even sweeter than Dominic Lobalu could have imagined.
“When the guy put the gold medal around my neck, it was like going from sleeping on the dust to going into the bathroom, taking a shower and coming out,” said the man, who won the European 10,000m champion earlier this summer. .
There was a lot for him to shed. It wasn’t that long ago that even the simplest of comforts felt out of reach for the 26-year-old. He was just nine years old when he lost both his parents in Sudan’s second civil war and fled with his four sisters from their home in Chukudum to neighboring Kenya.
His early teenage years were spent in Kakuma, where the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees camp became his home, but his life began to change one day when he was 15, running barefoot in a 10km race and he caught the eye. Two-time world 10,000m medalist and major marathon champion Tegla Lorupe.
It was a fateful moment. Lorupe invited Lobalu to his Peace Foundation, and he then introduced the Refugee Athletes Team, an initiative created by World Athletics, UNHCR and the IOC to allow refugee athletes to compete internationally despite not having a country of origin. were going to be nominated. Her international debut came a year later at the 2017 World Relays, before she then ran the 1500m at the World Championships in London.
Tegla Loroupe (Getty)
The next Sliding Doors moment came in 2019 after winning the 10km road race in Geneva. Rather than return to Kenya, Lobalu decided to seek asylum in Switzerland and was subsequently introduced to high school teacher and part-time athletics coach Markus Hagman, who took the then 20-year-old under his wing.
“Without him, I wouldn’t have achieved everything I’ve had in life,” says Lobalu. “I remember when I met him years ago, I only knew him in Switzerland. He did everything to help me. When I came to Switzerland, I didn’t speak a language that anyone understood, so he took care of everything.
“There were papers I had to sign that might have taken me half a day to figure out, but he handled it all. It allowed me to focus on training. Without him, my life would be much more difficult.”
The theme of Lobalu’s story is a mini-documentary produced by Onthe Swiss brand he works with is called To Chase a Dream, and he’s written another remarkable chapter in the past few months.
As well as winning the 10,000m in Rome, he also won 5000m silver at those championships, enjoyed a memorable 3000m Diamond League victory in London and was an Olympic finalist. Despite what could have been for him in Paris, he missed out on a medal by just 14 hundredths of a second, but that he was there at all is truly remarkable in itself.
Dominique Lobalu (Getty)
“When I started, I never had (career achievements) in my mind,” Lobalu tells AW. “My goal was just to finish school. Some guys said I could do well in running, but that wasn’t my first goal. I was saying: “Running doesn’t do anything, and it’s too long.”
“My main goal was to play football and that was what everyone was playing and enjoying. Now, sometimes, I wish I had started running much earlier because I could have built up my strength over time.”
However, it didn’t take long for Lobalu’s talent to shine and after several years with Hagmann, he introduced himself to the world with a brilliant 3000m victory in 7:29.48 at the 2022 Stockholm Diamond League. Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist 10,000m and half marathon world record holder Jacob Kiplimo.
Hagmann, who usually coaches Lobalu in St. Gallen, also organized a trip to South Africa earlier this year with OAC Europe head coach Thomas Dreisigacker. That meant Lobalu was running with the likes of George Mills and Tom Elmer, getting an insight into how other elite athletes put together their pre-season blocks.
Dominique Lobalu (Getty)
“The camp with the middle-distance pros was supposed to make me faster, but I’ve never done more running before,” Lobalu says. “I now understand why and how they run 200 kilometers a week. Exercising with George, for example, is easier than exercising alone. I like his mentality: train hard, win easy.”
Lobalu’s ultimate dream was to be at the 2024 Paris Olympics, especially after the International Olympic Committee and UNHRC ruled in 2021 that stopped him from competing for the Tokyo Refugee Olympic team.
Bureaucratic challenges followed and Lobalu was not allowed to represent Switzerland in international competitions. That decision lasted until May of this year, when World Athletics informed him that he could compete for the nation in events under their jurisdiction.
Just one month later, wearing the red and white jersey of Switzerland, Lobalu won those European medals in the Italian capital.
“I was so emotional inside, in a good way,” she continues. “I never believed that I could represent a country where I could sing the national anthem and stand on the top step of the podium. When it happened, the feeling was really amazing.
“The feeling I had when I crossed the finish line and was on the podium was magical. I will never forget the reaction of the people who supported me, who flew from Switzerland. When the national anthem was played, I heard my name being sung and it was special.
Dominique Lobalu (Getty)
I thank them for the opportunity.” Another opportunity appeared in Paris. Although Lobalu was able to compete for Switzerland at the World Athletics Championships, he was not allowed to do the same at the Olympics. Instead, the IOC allowed him to temporarily join the refugee Olympic team.
His campaign did not get off to a good start in Paris. In a frenetic 5000m heat at a packed Stade de France, he was one of three athletes (along with Mills) to go down in a late-race crash. He immediately got up, finished the run and waited for the judges’ decision.
“I was wondering how it was that I trained for the Olympics for so many years and it ended up like this,” Lobalu says. “I had to get up very quickly after I fell and get out of my mind. Anything could happen. I just wanted to finish and cross the line because there might still be a chance to make the final. I didn’t want to go out.”
That decision paid off as Lobalu progressed to the final after the judges ruled he was “unfairly hampered”. However, the emotional energy took its toll. On the day of the finals, Lobalu did not eat and spent most of the afternoon sweating from nervous energy.
Dominique Lobalu fell 5000 m (River)
In the call room he told himself “this is the final you’ve worked so hard for” and “just be yourself” but, on track, the early stages were a struggle.
“It took about two rounds for my breathing to return to normal,” he says. Still, he worked himself into the race and after settling into his stride, Lobalu was in the lead group in the closing stages.
Going into the 200m final, with Jakob Ingebrigtsen in dominant fashion, Lobalu set his sights on Ronald Kwemoi, Hagos Gebrhivet and Biniam Mehra in particular.
Lobalu kicked hard and was past both Gebrhivet and Mehra before hitting the line. If Kwemoi got the silver, was the bronze possible? Unfortunately, not as stormtrooper Grant Fisher, the US athlete who had already won a bronze medal in the Paris Olympics 10,000m, secured a place on the final podium by the narrowest of margins.
Dominic Lobalu (R) (River)
“I now know why I lost the medals in the 100m final,” Lobalu says. “I wasn’t hitting as well as I could have, and I didn’t see the guy coming after me.
“All my attention was on the people in front, so when I saw the American guy next to me, I said: “What the hell?” However, I have to admit that this is a sport.”
Having some distance from that final, along with everything he’s had to deal with, has really made Lobalu philosophical.
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“When I was told that I would represent the refugee team, I was happy because it was my dream to go to the Olympics,” he adds. “I got that opportunity to tell my story and others may not have the same opportunity.
“I showed that you can change your life and fight for your dream. If people can understand that this guy can do it, then I’m really happy because I can motivate them. I know how hard life is and I hope people can use my journey to help themselves.
“If I think back to when I started running, I have achieved a lot. Now I’m looking forward to 2025 and will continue to pursue my dream.”
» This feature first appeared in the November issue of AW magazine. Subscribe to AW Magazine herecheck out our new podcast! here or subscribe to our digital archive of back issues from 1945 to the present day here
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