Refugee sprinter to be Paris Paralympic flagbearer

Guillaume Junior Atangana will represent the Refugee Paralympic Team

A sprinter who moved to Bradford from Cameroon will the flagbearer for the refugee team at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.

Guillaume Junior Atangana, 25, who is visually impaired, will compete with his guide runner Donard Nyamjua, 32, in the 400m T11.

The pair represented Cameroon at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics but sought refuge in the UK after competing in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Mr Atangana, who trains at Bradford, Keighley and Skipton (BKS) Disability Athletics Club, said he was "very moved and happy" to be given the honour of carrying the team's flag.

Guillaume Junior Atangana with guide runner Donard Nyamjua (left)

Both athletes are students at Bradford College, where Mr Atangana studies an ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) programme and Mr Nyamjua 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.

Mr Atangana 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.”

Athletes in the T11 class are severely visually impaired and compete blindfolded with a guide runner.

Mr Atangana will also race in the 100m with his other guide, Israel Malachi-Harrison.

The athletes train at Bradford, Keighley and Skipton (BKS) Disability Athletics Club

As a child he loved playing football, but, aged eight, his vision began to deteriorate and, by 12, he had lost his sight entirely.

A PE teacher then urged him to focus on running due to his speed, which sparked a passion that led him to compete in Para-athletics.

"I didn’t leave my room for several months," he said.

"I was thinking everything was finished with sports, but I made a friend who helped me, and I started running."

'Safe and supportive'

Mr Atangana and Mr Nyamjua said they sought asylum in the UK as the situation in Cameroon was becoming more dangerous and it was impossible to pursue their athletics careers in a safe and supportive environment.

Together with seven other Para-athletes competing across six sports, they are part of the largest-ever Refugee Paralympic Team, hoping to build on the success of the Refugee Olympic Team.

The sprinters received a surprise call from the President of the International Paralympic Committee, Andrew Parsons, who asked him to carry the flag into the opening ceremony for the Refugee Paralympic Team, accompanied by his guide.

Their team will be the first to enter the ceremony later at the Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Elysées.

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