Cyclist who fled war ‘to save my life’ set for Olympics

“The war started and everything got really bad, but I chose to be strong and focus on my dreams. That helped me to get through that hard time.”

Eyeru Gebru’s passion for cycling is seemingly endless, as is her appreciation for the life it has allowed her to live.

Born in the north Ethiopian region of Tigray in the mid-1990s, she will be competing at the Paris Olympics as one of 37 athletes selected for the Refugee Olympic Team.

It is an opportunity she has dreamed of since she was a little girl.

“When I was six or seven years old in my city, they would race. I watched the winners and fell in love,” Gebru told BBC World Service Sport.

“I said: ‘I want to ride a bike.’ It took almost 10 years for me to learn, but it was my passion.

“Then I said: ‘OK, I need to work hard and believe in my dreams.'”

The reason for Gebru’s late start in cycling is the age-old problem of accessibility that affects several sports – in this case the cost of a bike.

“Cycling was for rich people,” the 27-year-old said.

When she was 16, Gebru rented a bike to learn how to ride.

Then she joined a local club, Ketema Axum Cycling and “started to discover more” about the sport.

Then came a difficult choice – whether to continue her schooling or dedicate her time to cycling.

“It was hard because I was really good in school, and when I started to race I needed to choose,” she said.

“My mum told me it was OK and she could support me, but my other relatives weren’t happy because in my country they have the belief that if you want a good life you need to go to university and study.

“But I said I wanted to focus on cycling. It was a crazy decision, but I’m proud of it.”

Eyeru’s decision was made easier after seeing cyclists from across Africa thriving on the international stage.

South Africa’s Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio – a three-time Olympian and bronze medallist at the World Championships and Commonwealth Games – was among her inspirations.

“She was so strong and always finished near the top,” said Gebru.

“Ethiopia also had one World Tour rider at that time, Tsgabu [Grmay]. He did it, and I believed that I could also achieve this too.

“I was inspired by them.”

Gebru moved south to Mekele, the capital of Tigray, and began to represent Ethiopia on the continental and world stage.

In 2017, she got an invitation to train at the World Cycling Centre in Switzerland but three years later, soon after she returned home, events were to drastically change her life.

The outbreak of the Tigray war in November 2020 brought Gebru’s cycling ambitions to a halt.

The Ethiopian government clashed with forces in the region, including the Tigray People’s Liberation Front – the one-time ruling party of the East African country.

One study from Ghent University estimates up to 600,000 people have died because of the war, with more than two million displaced and nearly 900,000 forced to flee as refugees.

That last group included Gebru, who left eight months after the fighting started, ostensibly to compete at the 2021 World Championships in Belgium.

Instead, she claimed asylum in Nice, France. It was a decision which meant she was unable to compete professionally for two years.

“I had to leave my country to save my life,” Gebru said.

“I wasn’t racing or training, but I just kept believing. I didn’t want to give up easily, even though the truth was really hard.”

Once her asylum claim was approved, an old coach at the UCI – cycling’s world governing body – helped Gebru find a club in France.

“Then I joined this continental team and then I got the refugee scholarship for the Olympics,” she added.

“After I said, ‘OK, my cycling life is born again’.”

With further support from the International Olympic Committee’s Refugee Athlete Scholarship, which currently supports 53 sportsmen and women worldwide, Gebru was able to refocus her mind on cycling from her new home in Nice.

And one goal in particular remained well within her reach.

“The Olympics was my dream – to be an Olympian,” Gebru said.

“I’ve watched many Olympics because Ethiopia are so good at running. So I have this image that the Olympics are everything.

“And now this is the opportunity for me to achieve my dream. I’m so grateful that I’m going to make it through.”

Gebru will fulfil her lifetime ambition when she lines up on the Trocadero for the women’s road race on Sunday.

“It’s a big thing,” she said. “I’m going to represent more than 100 million refugees around the world. I’m happy and proud to represent [them].”

An inspiration to many, Gebru was chosen as one of the Olympic torchbearers in the build-up to the Games in her adopted home country.

But when it comes to competing, the 158km road race course which weaves into the countryside west of the French capital will not play to her strengths.

“I know it’s going to be hard,” she says.

“I love climbing and this [route] is for classic riders. But I’m preparing my best, and I want to enjoy my first Olympics and give my best results.

“I don’t want to aim for less. I will do my best to represent refugees.”