Genet Dobamo, Ethiopia

“I became a professional athlete in Ethiopia when I was 14 years old. I held Ethiopia’s national title for the 400-meter race and had a good chance to represent Ethiopia in the 2016 Olympics. But I traded that opportunity of the Olympics for my freedom.
When I was eight years old the authorities came for my father. I remember running from the house and then feeling an intense pain as a spear struck my right arm and brought me down. My father also fell while carrying my baby brother who was crushed in the fall and died from his injuries.
I was severely beaten by Ethiopian police and my father was arrested many times for criticizing the government and speaking out against government persecution of my ethnic group, the Hadiya.
When I was 17, I arrived at Dulles Airport in Washington, DC, in 2014 with my athletic team to compete in the Junior World Championships in Oregon. But I decided to defect because I was frightened if I returned home, I would be tortured again and even killed.
I applied for asylum in 2015 and thought I would have an interview soon after. Seven years have passed and the asylum division in the US Immigration Service refuses to interview torture survivors and other people like me from Ethiopia. If the asylum office finally interviews me. I could start running again and maybe represent the United States in the Olympics.
I chose a photo of my mother to be projected over me. My family were all very supportive when I told them of my plans to defect. I knew I could only take a few things so packed a bag with a few clothes and some family photos. This photo of my mother gives me comfort as it was at a time when she was happy. Whenever we speak on the phone now, she is crying because she wants to see me before she dies. Long distance running is about surviving, persevering with the pain, and somehow finding the strength to continue one step at a time.”