“Somalia has had no real government for the last 20 years, but determination, good fortune and hope will take us close to victory,” said 18-year-old female athlete Zamzam Mohamud Farah.

The training facilities are pock-marked with bullet holes from years of brutal conflict, but as the four athletes — two men and two women — stride out in training, they offer a glimmer of hope for the war-ravaged nation.