Santa Monica track star relying on Uber, GoFundMe to get to Rio Games

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (KABC) -- Born in Zambia, Olympic track star Prince Mumba now calls Southern California home.

His athletic ability helped him escape a life of poverty in Africa and earned him a college scholarship in the United States.

Now, after competing in the 2004 and 2012 Games, the 31-year-old has set his sights on Rio this summer, training with the Santa Monica Track Club and working as an Uber driver to raise some cash.

Competing in the Olympics - including traveling back to Zambia for the trials - is an expensive undertaking, he says, so the Uber work is perfect for his schedule and lifestyle needs.

"It's flexible, it's something that can allow me to travel and still come back and work," he said. "And then it's the best way to meet people."

Mumba has also started a GoFundMe campaign to help him raise some cash. He's passed about 10 percent of his $40,000 goal.

Mumba started running in Zambia at a young age. He became a standout 800-meter runner and earned a scholarship to Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma. After that, he competed in the 2004 Olympics in Athens and the 2012 Games in London, along with a handful of track World Championships, All-Africa Games and other world meets.

"Since I was 12 years old, since 6th grade, I've been running and I love it," he said. "It's brought a lot of joy in my life."