Bradford College Students Represent Refugee Team at Paris 2024 Paralympics

BRADFORD, U.K. - Aug. 27, 2024 - PRLog -- Guillaume 'Junior' Atangana (25) and Donard Nyamjua (32) had a difficult journey to the UK, which was full of challenges. Yet, the duo reached this incredible sporting pinnacle with lots of determination and the support of Bradford College.

As a child in Cameroon, Junior's love of sports focused on football, but after losing his eyesight at age six, a PE teacher directed him towards running due to his speed. This sparked a passion that led Junior to compete in para-athletics.

Donard has worked with visually impaired athletes and been a guide runner since 2013. He began working with Junior in 2019, and together they became an unstoppable force. Junior has never let his disability hold him back, but instead used it as a source of strength.

After Junior and Donard participated in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the pair made the difficult decision to seek asylum in the UK. The situation in Cameroon was becoming more dangerous and it was impossible to pursue their athletics careers in a safe and supportive environment.

Junior is studying an ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) programme at Bradford College and Donard, is completing GCSE English and Maths Entry Level 3.  The runners balance their studies with training schedules thanks in part to the support from the College.

Junior said, "We come to College three times a week and attend our lectures and meet with our tutors. We receive lots of support. For me, in particular, my English skills have improved greatly, which is helping me interact better with people."

Donard added, "The College has been incredibly supportive, making sure we have what we need to balance our studies and training."

This help has been crucial in preparing for the Paris Paralympics, where they hope to improve on their previous performance at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Junior and Donard now train with the Bradford Keighley and Skipton Disability Athletics Club under the guidance of coach Janet-Alison Arkwright.

Their focus is now on the T11 400m event at the Paralympics - a classification for athletes with the greatest level of vision impairment and who compete with a guide runner. For Junior, this means relying entirely on Donard for pace, direction, and communication during the race.

Junior and Donard say they are not just competing for medals but represent millions of refugees worldwide who face challenges and adversity.

For more information about enrolment and student support, visit the Bradford College website: www.bradfordcollege.ac.uk