Yonas Kinde currently lives in Luxembourg

Ethiopia marathon runner Yonas Kinde aims for the Tokyo Olympic Games

Yonas Kinde on fulfilling his Olympic dream

“Sport teaches you how to win in life.” This is the message Olympic marathon runner Yonas Kinde wants to share with refugees and disadvantaged people across the world.

Born and raised in Ethiopia, Yonas was forced to leave his native country due to political problems and has lived in Luxembourg since 2012. “The biggest challenge is leaving your family and friends, and starting a new life in another country with different things like culture, language, and weather conditions,” he explained.

Yonas, who turned 41 in May, began running in Ethiopia as a teenager; initially in cross-country and 10,000m events, before converting to the full marathon. Upon his arrival in Luxembourg, the Ethiopian continued to pursue his passion for running and quickly became the best marathon runner in the country.

Yonas was given the ultimate opportunity to showcase his ability in 2016 as he competed at the Rio Olympics as part of the first-ever Refugee Olympic Team. The team, set up by the International Olympic Committee to reflect the ever-growing refugee crisis and the plight of millions of displaced people across the world, consisted of ten athletes – a “symbol of hope” for all refugees worldwide.

“When I think about the Rio Olympics I get full of energy,” explained Yonas. “They [IOC] created a beautiful family and we all achieved our goals.” “My dream came true. During the race in Rio, I was thinking about the pain of refugees and the suffering of children around the world.”

All major sporting competitions in 2020 were postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, he will have to wait another year to target his next Olympic opportunity.

“I think the postponement is the best choice considering this critical situation which is happening almost everywhere in the world,” Yonas admitted. “I would like to thank the Japanese community, the International Olympic Committee, the World Health Organisation, and all others that have been working for our safety and to protect us.”

In early 2021, Yonas became the first refugee in the history of the Tokyo Marathon to compete at an elite level. He completed the course in 2020 just before the global coronavirus pandemic paused international competitions.

“I dreamed about running in Tokyo since I was a child. This is mainly a flat course, which allows athletes to have good results. It is one of the greatest road races in the world,” Yonas explained to the UNHCR. “But most importantly, this is the city where my great idol, the Ethiopian runner Abebe Bikila, successfully defended his Olympic title in 1964.”

Despite the difficulties, he wants to return to Japan and compete at the Olympics. “The dream is still there and the dream has not changed.”

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