Refugee runner Jamal Abdoul-Magid going stronger than ever after 'dream' Tokyo 2020

Jamal Abdoul-Magid is used to long distances.

As a teenager he fled war in Sudan, travelling through Egypt and the Sinai Desert on foot before reaching Israel where he could live, work, support his family back home.

That war killed his father when a young Jamal was just eight years old, and forced him to part with his mother and siblings in search of a better life.

In Israel, he discovered a talent for running. It would take him further than he ever imagined - all the way to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Running under the name Jamal Eisa Mohammed, he competed in the 5000m, running a time of 13.42.98 to place 13th in his heat.

While that wasn't enough to reach the 5000m final, Abdoul-Magid had come a long way fast, representing and inspiring millions of displaced people around the world as part of the IOC Refugee Athletes Team.

Now, after the Tokyo Games Abdoul-Magid continues to develop as a runner and in his personal life with new goals and new dreams in sight.

READ: Jamal Eisa Mohammed completes long road from Darfur

READ: IOC Refugee Olympic Team runner Jamal Eisa Mohammed achieves dream at Tokyo 2020

Jamal Abdoul-Magid: New season, new goals

Still training in Tel Aviv with his running family, Abdoul-Magid is switching his focus to cross country this season and is planning to compete in the European Cross Country Championships in Dublin on December 12.

Then he'll travel to Italy in January 2022 before the Worlds in Oregon in July.

On a personal level, the Refugee Team Olympian is working hard too, studying with the World Athletics education program to become a coach, adding to the qualification he already has as a certified as massage therapist).

And his studies don't stop at sport either, Abdoul-Magid continues to learn Hebrew and English.

With his first Olympic experience under his belt and Paris 2024 on the horizon, there's plenty more to come from Jamal Abdoul-Magid.