opportunity to play in the SEC Championship. Te

NAIROBI, Kenya -- They were used to running barefoot on baking ground. They were raw, untrained. All eager.Each day, the five runners who grew up in the Kakuma refugee camp pounded the dusty tracks past thousands of makeshift tents to pass the time.Until there was a lifeline.Workers from the foundation of former marathon world-record holder Tegla Loroupe arrived to hold athletic trials, and the five excelled. For this group of runners, many with no family and all with little schooling, running could offer food, a solid house. Proper shoes.When I started the project, I said `What can I do with these people? coach Volker Wagner said. What he didnt have to worry about was their eagerness to run.The five runners are refugees, five of 65 million across the world who have been displaced from their homes. Now, theyre also track athletes, and theyre going to the Olympics.The runners, all from South Sudan, are part of the IOCs first 10-member refugee team. Its a team of athletes whose roads to Rio de Janeiro have surely been harder, but whose journeys might ultimately be more heartwarming, than any of the other 10,000-plus athletes who will compete at the globes biggest sports event.When we go to Rio we are going to give a message that a refugee can do anything any other human being can do, said Yiech Pur Biel, a 21-year-old 800-meter runner who now trains with the group at a base in the foothills just outside of the Kenyan capital of Nairobi.The refugee team is made up of sportsmen and women who have talent and drive, and the same dreams of competing on the worlds largest stage as athletes from all over the globe. But they have no way of representing their countries, countries they were forced to flee. So theyve been given a flag, the Olympic flag, to march behind at the opening ceremony in Rio and to compete under at the games.They have stories of unfathomable hardship.Yiech was a 9-year-old boy caught up in the Sudanese civil war in 2005 when his mother -- with no food and no other hope -- left him with a neighbor and went in search of something to eat for her family. She didnt come back. Yiech was sent, alone, to the vast Kakuma refugee camp in northern Kenya.James Nyang Chiengjiek wasnt much older, a child who herded cattle, when soldiers tried to kidnap him and force him to go to war. He ran away and also ended up at Kakuma, a camp teeming at one time with nearly 200,000 people, all homeless, many of them hopeless.Scrambling to hide when her village was attacked by a rival tribe, Rose Nathike Lokonyen came across the dead bodies of her grandparents. She was 7.Paulo Amotun Kokoros childhood memories are of running, but not for fun or for sport. He ran for his life as bullets whizzed past his head.Anjelina Nadai Lohalith was separated from her parents as a child more than a decade ago. The 21-year-old hasnt heard from them since, and can only hope that the news passed on to her that they are still alive is true.What I want to be is a champion, said Nadai Lohalith, whose event is the 1,500 meters. One day, one time. She hopes for a successful Olympics but, more than that, a reunion with the parents she hasnt seen in more than 10 years.The rest of the team is made up of two swimmers from war-torn Syria who, separately, made the treacherous voyage across the Aegean Sea on flimsy inflatable boats to reach Europe. They then trekked from country to country seeking shelter.There are two judokas from Congo, rescued from war as children only to be abused, starved and locked in cages by their handlers as they pursued a sport they loved. And a marathon runner who left Ethiopia in fear for his life, who now drives a taxi in Luxembourg to make ends meet, trains alone, and still wins races.Make no mistake their places at the Olympics have been earned: All 10 have met qualifying criteria.Its still a steep curve, especially for the South Sudanese. They have only been in formal training for a few years at the most, some of them just months. But after the hardships they endured early in life, this challenge isnt that scary.If I compare the training or the duration of training with other people I am going to compete with, (it) is not the same. But, I do not fear that, Nadai Lohalith said.Theyve come a long way, but Wagner said if any of them get through the qualifying heats at the Olympics, itll be huge. But thats not the point.It was never the point.When you give these people hope, coach Wagner said, that made this project successful.They look forward to being at the Olympic village in Rio and meeting other athletes. They look forward to having their own uniforms and running shoes. They look forward to being part of a team.Most of all, they look forward.---Follow the story of the refugee athletes at the Rio Games at www.summergames.ap.org Authentic Custom Phillies Jersey . Cuban testified Thursday that he was upset when the companys CEO told him news that would reduce the value of his shares, for which hed paid $7.5 million. But he said he did nothing improper when he sold those shares over the next two days. Cheap Custom Phillies Jersey . It was Kerbers third final of the year after losing to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia in Monterrey in April and to Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic in Tokyo two weeks ago. The 10th-ranked German improved her record in finals to 3-5. http://www.customphilliesjersey.com/custom-richie-ashburn-jersey-large-76h.html . 4 Villanova with a 96-68 drubbing on Monday. Wragge hit 9-of-14 from behind the arc, matching Kyle Korvers school record for 3-pointers in a game set in 2003, as Creighton (16-3, 6-1 Big East broke a conference record with 21 treys in the rout. Wholesale Custom Phillies Shirts . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers. Custom Phillies Jerseys . 4 Villanova with a 96-68 drubbing on Monday. Wragge hit 9-of-14 from behind the arc, matching Kyle Korvers school record for 3-pointers in a game set in 2003, as Creighton (16-3, 6-1 Big East broke a conference record with 21 treys in the rout. With the SEC East Division title now resting in Florida, No. 24 Tennessee looks to play to enhance its bowl credentials.Vanderbilt is playing for automatic bowl eligibility, though the Commodores still may get into the postseason even with a loss.And, of course, there is always the reward of beating an intrastate rival.Such is the situation when the Volunteers (8-3, 4-3 SEC) and Commodores (5-6, 2-5) face off at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. The SEC Network has the telecast.Until last weekend, the Vols were hoping that LSU would pin a third conference loss on Florida to give them an opportunity to play in the SEC Championship. Tennessee held the tiebreaker over the Gators to get the berth if each team finished with 5-3 marks.About halftime of the Vols 63-37 rout of Missouri last weekend, however, Florida was holding on for a 16-10 victory over LSU to finish conference play with a 6-2 record to snuff out Tennessees last opportunity.That may have been a downer, but coach Butch Jones doesnt see that as an issue this week.In terms of putting the East behind us, I guess the greatest illustration I can give you is that our players came out and played one of their best second halves in the second half against Missouri, he said. Im not naive enough to tell you -- they knew what had happened. They knew exactly the situation. We never addressed it, but kids are kids.They know. I think thats what defines who we are as a football program and what defines our players. We went out and had one of the best second halves.Its a bit early to see how things will eventually shake out in the bowl picture, but with a quarterback like Josh Dobbs and a receiver like Josh Malone, the Vols can be an attractive team. Dobbs has rushed for a team-best 660 yards and nine touchdowns and passed for 2,315 yards and 24 touchdowns with a 60 percent completion rate, while Malone is averaging 19.2 yards on 38 receptions.Thats if Tennessee can go into the postseason with nine wins and alonee in second place in the division, not tied with Georgia and Kentucky at 4-4.dddddddddddd.Theres a lot to be played for, Jones said. This has the makings to be a great, great, very, very special season. You look at all the great things that we have accomplished and all the great things that are ahead of us -- and I think also its a great illustration of persistence and resiliency of all the adversities that have gone through this season.I have never been through a season like this in 30 years of coaching in terms of the adversities, the injuries, the setbacks, the big wins, all that that goes into it.Vanderbilts Derek Mason could express similar sentiments.This group has earned the right as you look at what theyve had to go through, the close ballgames that have been, he said.The Commodores have done a remarkable turnaround after ranking 128th out of 128 FBS teams in total offense just a few weeks ago. After starting the season at 2-4, they have almost reversed that by winning three of their last five games.Last week against Ole Miss, they amassed 481 yards in total offense, their season high against an FBS opponent, and the 38-17 win over the Rebels were the most points they have scored against a conference opponent since Mason took over in 2014.In particular, Vanderbilts receiving corps stood out with Trent Sherfield gaining 73 yards on two receptions and Darius Sims getting 53 on just two grabs. C.J. Duncan had four catches and Caleb Scott three.They made some great plays, Mason said. They gave us chances to be successful. Theyve been maligned all year, so its good to see them have a breakout game.The win kept the Commodores hopes alive for getting to six wins and not having to depend on their academic credentials to get them into a bowl if not enough six-win teams are available to fill the slots.Why settle for second when first is available, Mason said. ' ' '