Lachie Moorhouse
Silence followed by the crack of a gunshot. One shot means go. Two shots means false start. Endless shots means you are embroiled in a situation far more serious than any athletics race. The pressure of a shot that starts a stopwatch pales into insignificance when compared to those that force you to start a new life.
This is the case for Kang Nyoak, who at the age of eight fled war-torn East-Africa with his mum to seek refuge in Australia. Some would consider the subsequent journey to Australia’s wealthiest school and the fringe of elite athletics a fortunate tale; however Nyoak’s emergence is no accident. Instead it is a product of his sheer determination and an obsession with self-improvement.
Now 20, Nyoak is cementing himself as a household name on the Australian athletics scene. Whether it’s the cornrows twisted by his auntie, his effortless stride or the trademark bling in his ear – the man is nothing short of an icon.
But scratch a beneath the surface of his athletic prowess and you will find a humble man with an unlikely story, complimented by a dose of perspective. And contrary to his running style, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing.
Born in Ethiopia in the year 2000, Nyoak spent his early years unsettled, bouncing between his hometown and Sudan. With wars between countries and tribes looming nearby, he had no choice but to mature rapidly and become accustomed to life’s challenges from a young age.
“I was fortunate enough to spend most of my time in Ethiopia, but I can’t say the same for my parents who grew up in Sudan,” he says.
“It’s unpredictable what can happen, we would get news that the war is coming our way and we would have to leave straight away.”
He would spend his childhood free from technology, recalling a simpler time in which he would play soccer with his friends in the red dust and the moon would signal their return home.
Nyoak’s brother, Emmanuel, had already gained refugee status in Australia along with their sister Nyamouon, and was the catalyst for the eventual arrival of his mum and brother. But Nyoak recalls the process as difficult, taking over 18 months and putting his mum in significant danger.
“Mum would travel back and forth between Ethiopia and Sudan for interviews and applications, and it was a dangerous route because you could get stopped by the military,” he explains.
So whilst Nyoak attended an Ethiopian private school, his mum, Nyahok, risked her life in search of a better one. And on the 30th of July in 2008, the duo would touch down alongside their cousins in Melbourne, Australia. They arrived with their lives packed into their suitcases and the uncertainty of ever returning home.
“It was weird seeing so many Caucasian people at the airport,” Nyoak reflects with a smile.
“The environment was so clean, everything was so nice.”
Nyoak had escaped the immediate danger of East-Africa, yet his problems were only just beginning. Whilst fluent in Amharic, Neur and Arabic, they would not serve him much use in Melbourne. Living with only his mum and cousins who also did not speak English, Nyoak was forced to find a way to get by in this intimidating new world.
After one year attending English Language School crafting an understanding of the fundamentals, the new-found Australian commenced primary school in Year 4 at Albany Rise, an experience he describes as “challenging” due to his limited English.
At ten years of age Nyoak found himself in an unfamiliar metropolis that had next to no similarities to home, struggling to communicate or make many friends. This Australian dream was failing to deliver the better life it had promised.
He found himself at the first of many crossroads.
“I wasn’t really into school, I just wanted to play sport,” he says.
This was a trend that would continue into his time at Wheelers Hill Secondary College, with Nyoak confessing that in Years 7 and 8 he was the “bad boy” of the school.
“I never did my work,” he laughs.
But just when it all seemed too hard and Nyoak was nearing the edge of a slippery slope, he asked himself a defining question.
“Why only do something half-decent?”
Capitalising on his passion for sport the gifted athlete became a spirited student in Year 9, fulfilling his parents’ wish that education be his number one priority.
“I applied my motivation and competitiveness in sport to my education, and I always challenged myself to do the best I could,” he says proudly.
“If I didn’t know something I always asked the person that was good at it, so I could become as good as they are.”
Despite being an established footballer at this stage, it was Kerrie Lay of Wheelers Hill Secondary College that lit the fuse on Nyoak’s rampaging running career.
“She asked me why I wasn’t doing regional cross country and I told her because footy is the way to go!” he jokes.
For a long time football was the go for Nyoak, with the talent proceeding to play for the Oakleigh Chargers in the U18 TAC Cup and registering on the radars of AFL clubs. He played his junior football at Northvale and Rowville.
At first Nyoak was sceptical on running due to his rheumatic fever, but he was about to be thrown in the deep end. As he recounts it, Lay approached him and delivered him a shock, saying “I have entered you in the All Schools Athletics, you are running.”
Would he sink or would he swim?
Off merely football training the 14-year-old burst onto the athletics scene, finishing 2nd in the 1500m before winning the 800m in emphatic fashion. Kang Nyoak had arrived.
A further 3rd place finish at the national carnival had him dreaming big, “after that year I really wanted to give my education and running a chance, so I started to think about going to a private school,” he says. You can hear the passion in his voice.
He would spend the summer of 2015-16 training under the tutelage of Mick Whiteoak at Knox, whilst he continued his relentless bid to attend a private school.
“I started looking into Wesley and I emailed them but I didn’t get a response… Eventually they told me they had run out of scholarships.”
Nyoak was in no position to afford a private education, describing the financial stress his sporting ambitions were placing on his family, and crediting Wheelers Hill Secondary College for funding his early success.
“I was making the teams but we were finding it hard financially,” he says.
“We were renting at the time. Mum is unable to work due to arthritis in her hands and dad was still in Ethiopia. At the same time we were sending money overseas to support relatives with money for food to ensure good health.”
Wesley seemed a distant world away.
Enter Tim O’Shaughnessy.
O’Shaughnessy, the Head Coach of athletics at Wesley College, details the day Nyoak approached him in 2015.
“I asked him why he wanted to come to Wesley and he said because he believes it’s the best chance he has to get an education and make something of his life,” he says.
“He didn’t say it would be cool because we are in the APS and we have a lot of good runners, it was purely based on education.”
On the back of his own initiative Nyoak would eventually land a spot at Wesley and commence Year 10, a seemingly unbelievable feat from his prior “bad boy” attitude at Wheelers Hill, and a lifetime away from lunchtime soccer in Ethiopia.
“I found it challenging at the start academically, the standard was so high. But I’m really self-motivated; once I decide to do something I fully commit to it and always want to be the best at what I’m doing,” he says.
“I needed to catch up on the education I had lost.”
Whilst the new kid on the block at Wesley was tenacious in his pursuit of academic success, he would have an immediate impact on the sporting fields.
“My first time at Wesley I played football on the Friday night and had APS cross country on the Saturday morning,” he says.
In typical Nyoak fashion he won them both. He reflects on these times with a grin, grateful that sport assisted him with fitting in at his new school.
So when people invested in Nyoak’s life in terms of schooling and athletics, he was hell bent on not letting them down. From nearing the point of dropping out of his schooling career in the early days, his appreciation for those who had helped him shone bright at Wesley.
In Year 11 he elected to commence IB (International Baccalaureate), widely regarded as a more intensive and demanding course than VCE. His reasoning? “I simply wanted to challenge myself.”
Nyoak’s unwavering commitment to his schooling became clear in 2017, when the then Year 11 student turned down an opportunity to represent Australia at the Oceania Athletics Championships so he could focus on his studies. But when the chance to attend the 2019 installment emerged, Nyoak arose from the pack and plucked it with two hands.
“I had never dreamt of representing a country so it was an easy choice, I had to take it and use it as a building block,” he says.
The young talent had been living life in the fast lane, grasping every opportunity on his road from Ethiopia and always willing himself towards his next goal. This dogged mindset has become the norm for Nyoak, and he is determined to leave no stone unturned.
“My message for other people would be to not settle for what you have been given or where you’re at in life, always strive for more,” he says.
“I don’t like getting too comfortable, I always set myself the next goal because it keeps me going.”
Excluding a tendency to sleep in, Nyoak’s trailblazing journey at Wesley made him the perfect candidate to return post-school as a coach to share his knowledge of both athletics and life, a reward that he says has helped assist his family financially.
“I feel like I can help support my family. When I used to play footy there was the incentive that if I made it I’d be able to help my mum easier,” he explains.
“My mum told me not to do it for her, but to do it because I love it and it helps me better myself.”
Nyoak’s bond with his mum is unrivaled, a connection that is a direct result of their hardships and mutual interest to seek a better life better for each other. But having not seen his dad since his departure from Ethiopia in 2008, the void of a father-figure has been narrowed by the presence of Tim O’Shaughnessy.
“Whenever I need to make a decision I talk to Tim first. He has helped guide me along the way and is more than just a coach to me,” he says.
“One thing that separates Tim from many coaches is that he goes above and beyond. He acts as a role model and has time for everyone.”
Nyoak even details times when he has been injured and O’Shaughnessy has visited him to check in on how he is going. He also credits O’Shaughnessy for his experience in an elite training environment in the form of opportunities with the Melbourne Track Club, headed by Nic Bideau and comprised of the majority of Australia’s best distance athletes.
In November of 2019 Nyoak attended an altitude training camp at Falls Creek with the Melbourne Track Club, an experience he describes as invaluable. Whilst the Ethiopian-born was familiar with the altitude, he was less fond of the snow, saying his body didn’t enjoy its first experience in the sub zero climate.
“The environment was very welcoming. They didn’t treat anyone differently, everyone was just equal and it didn’t matter how fast you ran there was just good banter,” he says.
“It helps having them around as I look up to them and they are where I want to be one day.”
“It’s good to talk to them because they are the best at what they do, and I can understand the process to get to that level.”
In particular, Nyoak makes mention of Australian 10,000m record holder Stewart McSweyn as a role model, admiring the patience and consistency that has led to his success.
With the adversity of his life forcing him to develop a mentality and skill set far greater than most in society, Nyoak is planning the next chapter of his life which is set to take place at college in the USA.
“It is too simple for me to just stay here. I can get more opportunities for my education and running over in America, along with exploring the world,” he reasons, adamant that staying in Australia is not an option for him.
The prodigy’s preparation has been thorough, including picking the brains of training partners Jordan Williamsz and James Coleman, who have both utilised the NCAA system as a launch pad to the upper echelon of Australian distance running. Nyoak has also constructed lists of pros and cons of countless colleges.
His goal at college – to run fast? That’s a given, but Nyoak’s emphasis on academics remains fixed.
“The biggest goal for me at college is academics because no one can take that away from me,” he declares.
“My goals in running would be to break the Australian indoor 800m record (held by Joseph Deng), to win NCAA championships, and in the long term make the Olympics.”
It’s no surprise that Nyoak has such big ambitions. The 20-year-old has conquered every challenge in his life to date and sought more on his own accord. His journey could have been vastly different, but every time he has met a roadblock he has found a way over, around or through it.
“I’ve worked so hard to get where I am at the moment. I have chosen to control my own life. Always set yourself a goal, even if it takes 10 years it will keep your mind active,” he closes.
There is no denying that Kang Nyoak is a class athlete – everyone knows that. But he is also one hell of a bloke, and his qualities as a person will eternally surpass his athletic ability. So next time you see him at the track, think not ‘Kang Nyoak the athlete’, but instead ‘Kang Nyoak the man.’
Words by House 