| Anjelina Lohalith | |
| Nationality: | South Sudanese |
| Citizenship: | South Sudanese |
| Birth Date: | 1 January 1993 |
| Sport: | Athletics |
| Event: | 1500m |
| Updated: | 16 September 2016 |
Anjelina Nadai Lohalith (born 1993, credited as January 1)[1] is a track and field athlete originally from South Sudan, but now living and training in Kenya. She competed as part of the Refugee Olympic Team at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Lohalith was born in South Sudan. In 2001 when Lohalith was eight years old she had to leave her home during the Second Sudanese Civil War by civil war and violence closed in on her village with landmines being found near her home.[2] She was separated from her parents as her parents sent her to Kenya for safety. She arrived in northern Kenya in 2002, settling in the Kakuma refugee camp. While attending primary school in the camp she took up running.[3]
When professional coaches came to Kakuma to hold selection trials for a special training camp, they identified Lohalith's athletic ability and she was selected to train under Olympic champion marathon runner Tegla Loroupe at her sports foundation in Nairobi. Here, the 1500m runner trains with four other runners from South Sudan who will participate in the Olympic refugee team at Rio 2016.[4] who has been selected by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to compete for the Refugee Olympic Team in the women's 1500 m at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Lohalith placed 40th out of 41 runners in Round 1 of the event with a time of 4:47.38. She did not advance.[5]
Lohalith hopes that through her success in running she will be able to help her parents who she has not seen since she was 8 years old.
On 30 April 2024, Lohalith was issued with a provisional suspension by the Athletics Integrity Unit in relation to "Presence/Use of a Prohibited Substance (Trimetazidine)" under anti-doping rules.[6] [7]
| Representing Refugee Athletes | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 40th (h) | 1500 m | 4:47.38 | |
| 2017 | World Championships | London, United Kingdom | 43rd (h) | 1500 m | 4:33.54 | |
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 14th (h) | 1500 m | 4:31.65 | |
| 2022 | World Indoor Championships | Belgrade, Serbia | 19th (h) | 1500 m | 4:34.72 | |
| African Championships | Port Louis, Mauritius | 16th (h) | 800 m | 2:19.29 | ||
| 10th | 1500 m | 4:33.74 | ||||
| World Championships | Eugene, United States | 42nd (h) | 1500 m | 4:23.84 | ||
| 2023 | World Cross Country Championships | Bathurst, Australia | 13th | 4 x 2 km mixed relay XC | 27:15 | |
| World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 32nd (h) | 5000 m | 15:35.25 | ||
| 2024 | World Cross Country Championships | Belgrade, Serbia | 23rd | 10km XC | 33:26 | |