South Sudanese refugee Joseph Deng justifies Aussie selectors’ by making Commonwealth Games 800m final

BORN in a Kenyan refugee camp to a South Sudanese mother, Joseph Deng says he’s proud of the Australian colours he wears, as he prepares for the Commonwealth Games 800m final.

BORN in a Kenyan refugee camp to a South Sudanese mother, Joseph Deng says he’s proud of the Australian colours he wears, as he prepares for Thursday night’s Commonwealth Games 800m final.

Fleeing her war-torn African homeland, Deng’s mother Rebecca was eventually able to bring he and her sister Margaret to Toowoomba when he was six, to live with his uncle David.

“He’s the one that got us to come to Australia,’’ Deng, 19, said.

“It’s a great feeling for me to run for Australia, just wearing the colours and doing my best.”

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From humble beginnings in a Kenyan refugee camp to a chance at Commonwealth Games gold, Joseph Deng says Australia is the only country for him. Picture: Getty Images

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Deng was selected with an eye to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as Australia’s discretionary third runner in the 800m at the Commonwealth Games after a personal-best 1min45.71sec in the B-final at the national titles in February.

He justified the selection by finishing third in his heat in a time .01 second outside that personal best.

Deng ran an excellent tactical race and was only grabbed over the last couple of metres, finishing third in 1min45.72sec, just behind defending champion Nijel Amos and national champion Luke Matthews.

“I was happy with that and it was only .01sec off my PB,” Deng said. “I hope (the final) is fast because I like fast races.”

Dual Olympic gold medallist Sebastian Coe was impressed by Deng as an athlete.

“He looks like a really nice runner,’’ Coe said on the Seven coverage.

“He didn’t quite have the strength (in fading from second place to run third in his heat).’’

Deng was a discretionary selection for the Aussies that has paid off. Picture: Adam Head

The former Ipswich Grammar student, who moved to Melbourne for athletics coaching 14 month ago, says he does not know his father.

Asked if he follows news of war-torn South Sudan he quietly answers no, just how he answers questions about whether he wishes to discover his father’s background one day or explore his South Sudanese heritage.

“I’ve never been there. I’ve been here basically all my life — I wouldn’t represent any other country,’’ Deng said.

Deng’s mother and his four siblings moved to Perth from Canberra recently. His coach Justin Rinaldi said his personal best time at 19 is similar to or better than those who have made the most recent Olympic and world titles finals in the two-lap race.

On his first European trip last year, Deng struck up a friendship with Botswana’s Amos, who had the No.1 800m time in the world last year and goes into Thursday’s final as the gold medal favourite.

Deng will have to take on his mate, Botswana’s Nijel Amos, in the final. Picture: AP

“We met at a meet in Slovakia. We are mates and talk a bit through social media. He’s been really good to me,’’ Deng said.

Amos ran 1.44.65 in a meet in the United States last weekend and was the 2012 Olympic silver medallist in the 800m.

Deng did not run fast enough to make the final of the 800m at the national championships in February and says he had to be talked into running in the B-final, in which he ran a faster time than A-final winner Mathews that convinced the selectors to blood him at the Gold Coast Games.

That put him at the centre of controversy as he was selected as the country’s discretionary third runner ahead of three-time Olympian Jeff Riseley.

Deng has impressed Rinaldi with how he has applied himself to training and living in Melbourne. His teenage charge said he owes a lot to his coach in Ipswich, Diane Sheppard, and his friends there.

“If I didn’t go to Ipswich Grammar I don’t think I’ll be running. I was very honoured to get a scholarship,’’ he said.

Originally published as South Sudanese refugee Joseph Deng justifies Aussie selectors’ by making Commonwealth Games 800m final