Dominic Lobalu, who after his bronze and gold medals at the European Championships in Rome was wrapped up in the Swiss flag for a long time, will also be running for the refugee team at the Olympic Games.
Dominic Lobalu can look back on an emotional and turbulent start to the season. After years of legal and political wrangling, it was only in mid-May that World Athletics granted him the right to compete for Switzerland at international title competitions, and one month later he was already European champion in the 10,000 m and third in the 5000 m. Many people are now interested in his inspiring story, media inquiries from all over the world reach his management, various organizers of meetings or races want to sign him up.
And as a counterpoint, the IOC is putting a damper on him. Because Lobalu does not (yet) have a Swiss passport, he is not allowed to compete for Switzerland under the sign of the five rings, but will be part of the Olympic Refugee Team (EOR) - if he wants to be. Born in South Sudan, Lobalu broke away from this team in Geneva in 2019 to apply for asylum in Switzerland and build his own life, which he managed to do in eastern Switzerland. Lobalu accepted the invitation to Paris after a period of reflection, otherwise he would not have been able to fulfill his Olympic dream.
Mentored by the Swiss staff
Whether he competes under the IOC flag or in Swiss kit, not much will change in practice. Lobalu is staying with the Swiss team in the Olympic village, his first point of contact remains coach Markus Hagmann, preparations took place in St. Moritz, acclimatization took place in St. Gallen and he also decided on the discipline with Hagmann. The 5000 m.
"Many people think Dominic is a 10,000-meter specialist because of his gold medal. But we already decided on the 5000 meters at the beginning of the year," says Hagmann. The coach emphasizes that Lobalu would have had to train differently in the last two months for a 10,000 m race in Paris. 13 (!) runners stayed under 27 minutes in the 10,000 m final on Friday evening. Lobalu has never broken this mark - because he has never specifically prepared for this distance. You don't change from 5000 m to 10,000 m just like that.
Lobalu should make the cut in the 5000 m preliminary race on Wednesday morning, also thanks to his final speed. In the final on Saturday evening, however, the air will be thin. Europe is not the same as Africa. Lobalu set his sights on the Swiss record at the meeting in Oslo at the end of May and lowered it to 12:50.90 minutes. This was good enough for 7th place in Norway, 15 seconds behind.
And in a tactical race there are other opponents, first and foremost Jakob Ingebrigtsen. After winning two gold medals at the World Championships, the 1500 m Olympic champion now wants to triumph in the 5000 m for the first time at the Olympics. The Norwegian won the title with relative ease at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships. That is likely to be a little more difficult in Paris. Jacob Kiplimo from Uganda and the strong Ethiopians around national record holder Hagos Gebrhiwet have already run absolute world-class times this season. Kenyan Jacob Krop and American Grant Fisher are also likely to play a role. Or will Guatemalan Luis Grijalva, who lives in the USA, spring a surprise?
