Cycling community unites to support Ethiopian champion turned asylum seeker

Trhas Teklehaimanot Tesfay is no ordinary elite cyclist. The reigning Ethiopian national champion does not live an austere life because she wants to, but because she has to.

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.

Tesfay lives in a hotel in west London, sharing a room with two others, and is given less than £10 a week to live off. She still hopes to be able to ride at the highest level, and could potentially take part in future World Championships as part of the refugee team if her asylum claim is accepted. Her story has been picked up by both the BBC and The Guardian.

This is all happening at the same time as the Government ramping up its anti-refugee rhetoric, which is seen in its plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. Tesfay has made her way from Ethiopia to seek safety, yet could find herself returned to east Africa.