Dream of a lifetime ahead for Congo refugee at Tokyo Olympics
Congo refugee savouring Olympic dream
JOHANNESBURG, June 16 (ANA) – Congo refugee Dorian Keletela will be living out his dream when he competes in the men’s 100m at the Tokyo Olympic starting next month.
“The world needs inspiration, a good message,” the 22-year-old told World Athletics. “The message I want to send is that refugee people are a strong people and they can do everything a normal person can do.”
A native of Congo, Keletela faced tragedy early in life. In his teens he lost both his parents, who were victims of political persecution, and he moved in with his aunt, who cared for him from that point onwards.
“In Congo the important thing is to respect your mum, and I respected her like a mum,” he says.
In 2016 the two fled to Portugal where he spent more than a year in refugee centres, a difficult situation but one he had to endure to escape the risk at home.
“It was very complicated to live there,” he says of his native country. “But (leaving) was not really a choice.”
At the age of 15, Keletela first began competing in the 100m. After just one year in the sport, he clocked 10.68 seconds. Once he moved to Portugal in 2017, he improved his Personal Best (PB) to 10.48.
Though he was unable to speak Portuguese when he arrived in the European nation, he does not plan to ever live anywhere else again.
“In Portugal I have more liberty,” he says. “This is very fundamental because people look for liberty in life. Congo doesn’t have liberty.”
In March this year, Keletela became the first member of the World Athletics Athlete Refugee Team to compete in the European Indoor Championships. He would go on to finish eighth in his 60m heat in 6.91, but the experience was one to savour.
“This experience was very good for me because it was a championship of Europe,” he says. “I was thankful to all those who helped make it happen.”
With a current PB of 10.46, he hopes he can lower that in Tokyo and create memories to last a lifetime.
“My objective is to make a mark. I hope to do a personal best.”
“For me, to be a refugee is an opportunity to be here to run,” he says. “If I wasn’t a refugee, I wouldn’t be able to run at the Olympics. I can be an inspiration for other refugees and people who have a similar experience to me because life is not always easy for everyone.” – African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Michael Sherman