Abdoulie Asim was at one stage living under a bridge in Sydney

Abdoulie Asim Dream

Abdoulie Asim: It’s been a tough journey on the road to Tokyo

Given the many hardships Abdoulie Asim has endured before and after seeking asylum in 2018, being denied a gold medal at the Australian track and field championships ranks way down the list.

A converted Christian, Asim represented The Gambia at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018 and then refused to return home, claiming refugee status due to feared religious persecution from Muslim family members.

He made his way to Sydney and lived under a bridge in Parramatta for several days before moving into a hostel for homeless men, where he stayed for a year.

“I would sleep for two or three hours a night but I could not sleep much because I was thinking about my life,” he continues. “Fear. You have some kind of fear. I was worried that someone is looking for me. I was so scared. I didn’t know what to do. I was thinking, ‘What is my life going to be?'”

That was the brutal reality of Assim’s life when he got off a bus from the Gold Coast in Paramatta, knowing his life would be in danger if he returned to Africa, but being so broke he survived on uneaten chicken nuggets and fries left on tables at McDonald’s.

The reality of his life now is vastly different. He has his own place in Northmead, has one job at a gym and another packing shelf, and is running fast enough on the track to challenge Australia’s best sprinters.

The turning point came when he linked up with highly respected coach John Quinn, whose squad includes women’s national 400 meters champion Bendere Oboya.

One day, Assim was training at Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre and someone pointed to Quinn. Assim walked up to him and said “I’m an athlete. Would you coach me?” Quinn asked Assim to do a simple run-through, to see if he was the real deal. Since then, Quinn and Assim have formed a bond closer than most athlete-coach partnerships.

Just how far this story could go remains to be seen. It was determined by important meets in Melbourne, Brisbane, and Sydney before the Olympic trials and nationals.

Asim was overjoyed at crossing the line first in 20.78 seconds in the men’s 200m final at the Australian track and field championships in Sydney. But he was later disqualified for running out of his lane, gifting the national title to runner-up Alex Beck, who completed the 200m-400m double.

“It’s a very tricky path for him to get to Tokyo,” Quinn admitted. “He’ll be selected if he’s good enough. He’s nearly there. But I am not building his hopes up. He knew coming here that it wasn’t just an automatic thing that you become an Australian citizen because you’re a great athlete. He’s earning his stripes.”

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