At the age of 15, Koum moved to Yaoundé, Cameroon and began lifting weights inside a gym owned by his father.

He developed the strength required to allow him to represent Cameroon in several international competitions such as the 2005 World Weightlifting Championships and the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

[1] After the completion of the games, Koum chose to stay in Australia and sought asylum.

[2] After two years, he was granted Australian citizenship[1][2] and was free to represent Australia in international competitions.

Kuom was required to lift in order to allow an Australian competitor to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics.