Birmingham Commonwealth Games: Cyrille Tchatchet selected for Team England

A refugee athlete is competing at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, the very city where he was granted asylum and which he credits for saving his life.

Weightlifter Cyrille Tchatchet II arrived in the UK aged 19 in 2014 to compete at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. However, he did not return to his native Cameroon, deeming it unsafe.

What followed was homelessness and Mr Tchatchet's mental health deteriorated. The athlete says he contemplated suicide.

This led him to an immigration centre which granted him asylum in Birmingham and Mr Tchatchet went back to training and fell in love with weightlifting again.

He is now officially a UK citizen, has been selected for Team England to compete at the 2022 Games and says he could not be more proud.