30 Aug: Julius Achon - from Child Soldier to Olympian, Part 1

Published: Aug. 30, 2018, 7:09 a.m.

When he was 11, Julius Achon was taken from his village in Northern Uganda by rebels from the Lord's Resistance Army and forced to become a child soldier. He escaped but saw nine of his friends killed. His love for running developed and despite many setbacks and against all the odds in 1994 Julius became World Junior 1500m champion. He went on to represent Uganda at the 1996 & 2000 Olympics. Today he is an MP in the Ugandan government and runs a foundation providing education and healthcare to his home community. In Part 1 of his incredible story, Julius tells us about being captured by the LRA and how his running career took off.