Lopez Lomong will be the flag bearer for the 2008 US Olympic Team at the opening ceremony in Beijing.

The 23-year-old 1500 metres runner received news of his selection by the the United States Olympic Committee by telephone at the Team USA track and field training camp in Dalian.

Sudan-born Lomong said: "This is the most exciting day ever in my life. It's a great honour for me that my team-mates chose to vote for me.

"The opening ceremony is the best day and the best moment of Olympic life. I'm here as an ambassador of my country and I will do everything I can to represent my country well."

USA Track and Field reports Lomong has overcome an overwhelming array of obstacles in becoming a top American middle distance runner.

He was born in Sudan, fleeing the country when he was six years old and becoming separated from his family.

Lomong was sent to live in a refugee camp in Kenya for 10 years, and in 2000 he walked five miles to watch the Sydney Olympic Games on a black-and-white TV.

It was then that his Olympic dream began.

Watching US track and field athlete Michael Johnson compete, Lomong remarked that, "I'd like to run like that guy".

He wrote an essay in 2001 about what he would strive to accomplish if he lived in America, and his words prompted officials to give him that chance.

He was moved to the United States to live with a foster family in Tully, New York, and became an American citizen in July 2007, a moment he says has changed his life forever.

"The American flag means everything in my life - everything that describes me, coming from another country and going through all of the stages that I have to become a US citizen," Lomong said.

"This is another amazing step for me in celebrating being an American. Seeing my fellow Americans coming behind me (in the Opening Ceremony) and supporting me will be a great honur - the highest honuor.

"It's just a happy day. I don't even have the words to describe how happy I am."

"Few people better understand or reflect the American dream and Olympic ideals than Lopez," USA Track and Field chief executive Doug Logan said.

"What a great, great day for him and the entire Olympic team."