INA - Boaz Lalang took special care with the children who surrounded him at Rend Lake College.

"It means a lot to me to see the children because I remember following an Olympian around when I was a kid. I wanted to be an Olympian, too," Lalang said. "That was my dream, and it came true."

Lalang returned to Southern Illinois on Tuesday after competing for his native Kenya in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

While he did not medal in the 800-meter race, his ninth-place finish in the world competition was enough to draw some 260 fans to a welcome home reception at the college Wednesday.

The event not only gave Lalang's RLC family and friends the opportunity to welcome him back to campus; it also gave Lalang the chance to thank the people who supported him on his Olympic run.

"It feels good to see how many people came out to support me. When I was in China, I read their encouraging words (in an interactive online blog). So encouraging. Whenever I read the words, it made me want to cry. The words proved to me that my Rend Lake family really loves me," he said. "They make me proud to be at Rend Lake."

The college is equally proud of Lalang, its first Olympic athlete, RLC Foundation CEO Pat Kern said.

"We are so proud of his accomplishments," she said. "And it's been good for the college as well. His going to the Olympics really put us on the map. It brought attention to the quality of our athletic program."

One of Lalang's fellow RLC athletes, Ben Cheruiyot, said Lalang's Olympic feats have served as inspiration to those in the program.

"What we got from him is that anything is possible. That we all have potential," Cheruiyot said.

RLC Athletic Director Brent McLain, who also coaches men's track, traveled to Beijing to watch Lalang's quest for Olympic gold.

"He missed the finals by two one-hundredths of a second, which is a hair," McLain said. "For a 19-year-old to get that kind of experience on a world stage, it's unbelievable. Any race he runs from here on out, he will be a different gentleman.

"His competitors will be running with him; he won't be running with them."

McLain said while watching one of his athletes run in the Olympics was an amazing experience, the highlight of the trip came when he first saw Lalang in Beijing.

"When we got to see him for the first time, seeing the tear in his eye was the most memorable part of the trip. He knew we were there to support him.

"He is just 19, and while the pros he was training with took him in, everyone he knows was back here. He wasn't comfortable," McLain said.

"He saw us, and he said, 'My family is here.'"

Lalang said he plans to finish his associate's degree at the college and then may turn professional.

"My family needs me to help. I have younger siblings who need to go to school. If I turn professional, I can help them get their education," he said of his family members. They remain in Kenya, where the average yearly income is about $2,000.

For now, he said, he will focus on his studies and continue training for the next track season and the World Championships in Berlin next August.

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