Trhas Teklehaimanot Tesfay, the former Ethiopian national champion turned refugee in the UK, is running out of time to secure asylum in order to ride the World Championships next month.
The 22-year-old currently lives in the UK having claimed asylum last year, and is being supported by charity West London Welcome. Her home country, Ethiopia, has recently endured a brutal conflict in the Tigray region.
She has been invited by the UCI to ride the World Championships as part of the refugee team, but can’t travel to Switzerland for the race unless she is granted refugee status in the UK and gets a travel document. To do this, she needs an asylum interview, which she has waited almost a year for.
Tesfay is a two time Ethiopian national champion, in both the road race and time trial, and since being in the UK has been riding domestically, including finishing 24th at the Lancaster GP in July.
“I did the African Championships and the Ethiopian Championships,” she said. “But I’ve never done the World Championships. That’s my dream. I don’t want to miss this one.
“Last year I couldn’t go to the Glasgow World Championships because I didn’t get a visa. I had trained very hard and had to watch it on TV and I cried.”
“It’s hard,” she continued. “I’ve been waiting almost one year. I could not work and I only got £8 a week. I am young and I want to start my life and my career.”
She has received support from her local cycling community, as well as bigger organisations. Team Africa Rising has mobilised its network of contacts including Zwift, local cycling clubs and organisations.
While many people in Tesfay’s situation face an uncertain future, it’s hoped that with her previous achievements, and the attention from the media, she will be granted refugee status in the UK, and therefore be able to guarantee her future.
West London Welcome’s director, Joanne MacInnes, told the BBC: “It’s so frustrating. I can just imagine the interview coming a week too late and that would just break my heart.
“She just deserves this. She trains so hard.”
“Trhas’s asylum case is really strong,” MacInnes added. “It’s just a question of granting her this interview, making a decision, and getting the necessary travel documents.”
Jeremy Ford, of Team Africa Rising, said: “She’s raced a couple of national series races, where our dream was that she might just finish.
“But she’s finished top 50 in both of them, which at her level is a great achievement.
“At 22 years old, it’s a pinnacle moment in a cycling career, and the world championships is the absolutely biggest race in the world – a moment to show what you’re capable of.”
