Farah fled Somalia as a child and settled in Britain, where he would eventually rise to Olympic glory. Similarly, Lobalu escaped the war-torn region of South Sudan and found refuge in Switzerland. Initially, Lobalu harbored dreams of a career in football. However, his aspirations shifted dramatically when he witnessed Farah clinch his first gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics on television.

“That was the first time I saw athletics. I had gone to watch football, as I was a big football fan,” Lobalu shared in an exclusive interview with Olympics.com.

“When they put the Olympics (athletics), I was like, ‘why are you putting this thing?' That was the 10,000m. I saw on his T-shirt that he [Farah] was running for Great Britain, but he is Somali. But then I was like, ‘Ok, this thing can work.'"

That pivotal race ignited Lobalu's passion for athletics, setting him on a new path. Fast-forward to the present day, and Lobalu, now the reigning 10,000m European champion, is in Paris 2024, living out his Olympic dream as a member of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team. He speaks candidly about his goals and the significance of the Olympics in his life.

“Olympics is like the dream for all the athletes and has good competitors, and for me to arrive there, it's like my dream come true. Now what I want is to hang the Olympic medal on my door.”

Lobalu is set to compete in the 5000m at the Stade de France in Paris, fully embracing the opportunity to showcase his talents on the world stage.