WOW. The Stories Of These 11 Olympians Need To Be Shared!

7. Lopez Lomong

Lopez Lomong spent ten years in a Kenyan refugee camp after escaping turmoil and violence in Sudan. As one of the “Lost Boys” he believed his parents had been killed and he was kidnapped at the age of six until he was reunited with his mother and came to the USA when he was sixteen years old. Finishing fifth at the 2008 Olympics in the 1500m, Lomong set his sights even higher. In 2012, he became the world leader in his first time competing in the 5k race with a time of 13 minutes 11.63 seconds.

8. Natalie Du Toit

Du Toit became the first female amputee in an able-bodied Olympics in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games when she competed in the women’s 10km race. Her left leg was amputated after a car crash in 2001 and she had been a successful Paralympian even without the aid of a prosthetic limb. Her ambitions and relentless drive to compete led her to the Beijing Games and in 2010, she was awarded the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability honor for her courage, strength, and ability to break down barriers worldwide.