Perina Lokure Nakang – 800m
Nakang has been one of the team’s brightest young stars since bursting onto the scene in 2022. The 22-year-old South Sudanese runner, based in Kenya, reached the 800m semi-finals at the Paris 2024 Olympics with a personal best of 2:08.20.
The year before, she made the final of the event at the World Championships in Budapest, where she finished 8th. She will be looking to improve on that outing in Tokyo.
Her progress has not come easily – she endured long stretches without proper training, dealing with water shortages, illness and unrest. Now, with fresh support from the Refugee Athlete Scholarship, she returns to the global stage with unfinished business.