“The war started and everything got really bad, but I chose to be strong and focus on my dreams. That helped me get through those tough times.”

Eyeru Gebru’s passion for cycling and her appreciation for the life it has provided her seems never-ending.

Born in the mid-1990s in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, the athlete will compete in the Paris Olympics as one of 37 athletes selected for the Refugee Olympic Team.

This was an opportunity she had dreamed of since she was a little girl.

“They were racing in my city when I was six or seven years old. I would watch the winners and I fell in love,” Gebru told BBC World Service Sport.

“I said, ‘I want to ride a bike.’ It took me almost 10 years to learn, but it was my passion.

“Then I said: ‘Okay, I just have to work hard and believe in my dreams.'”

Gebru’s late start in cycling stems from the age-old accessibility problem that affects many sports; in this case, the cost of cycling.

“Cycling was for the rich,” the 27-year-old actor said.

When Gebru was 16, she rented a bicycle to learn how to ride one.

He later joined a local club, Ketema Axum Cycling, and began to “discover more” about the sport.

A difficult choice

Then came a difficult decision: Should he continue school or devote his time to cycling?

“It was tough because I was doing really well in school and when I started competing I had to choose,” she said.

“My mother told me it was okay and that she could support me, but my other relatives were not happy about it, because in my country there is a belief that if you want a good life you have to go to university and study.

“But I said I wanted to focus on cycling. It was a crazy decision, but I’m proud of it.”

Eyeru’s decision was made easier by seeing cyclists from all over Africa succeeding internationally.

Among her inspirations was South African Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio, a three-time Olympian and bronze medalist at the World Championships and Commonwealth Games.

“She was very strong and would always finish near the top,” Gebru said.

“At that time there was also a World Tour rider in Ethiopia, Tsgabu (Grmay). He did it and I believed I could do it too.

“I was inspired by them.”

The outbreak of war

Gebru moved south to Mekele, the capital of Tigray, and began representing Ethiopia on the continental and world stage.

In 2017, he was invited to train at the World Cycling Center in Switzerland, but three years later, shortly after returning to his home country, events that happened to him would radically change his life.

The outbreak of the Tigray war in November 2020 disrupted Gebru’s passion for cycling.

Ethiopia’s government has clashed with forces in the region, including the East African country’s one-time ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.

According to a study by Ghent University, nearly 600,000 people lost their lives due to the war, more than two million people were displaced and approximately 900,000 people were forced to flee as refugees.

The final group also included Gebru, who is set to compete at the 2021 World Championships in Belgium, eight months after the fight began.

Instead he sought asylum in Nice, France, a decision that meant he would be unable to compete professionally for two years.

“I had to leave my country to save my life,” Gebru said.

“I wasn’t competing or training, I just kept believing. Even though the reality was really hard, I didn’t want to give up easily.”

After her asylum request was approved, a former coach at the UCI, cycling’s world governing body, helped Gebru find a club in France.

“Later on, I joined this continental team and then got a refugee scholarship for the Olympics,” he added.

“After I said, ‘Okay, my cycling life was reborn.'”

‘I will represent 100 million refugees’

Gebru has been able to refocus on cycling from her new home in Nice, thanks to support from the International Olympic Committee’s Refugee Athlete Scholarship, which currently supports 53 athletes worldwide.

And one target in particular was still within his reach.

“The Olympics were my dream; to be an Olympian,” Gebru said.

“I watched a lot of the Olympics because Ethiopia is very good at running. So I have this image that the Olympics are everything.

“And now this is my opportunity to make my dream come true. I’m so grateful to be able to do this.”

Gebru will fulfill a lifelong dream when she takes part in the women’s road race at the Trocadero on Sunday.

“This is a big thing,” he said. “I will be representing over 100 million refugees worldwide. I am happy and proud to represent (them).”

An inspiration to many, Gebru was chosen as one of the torchbearers for the Olympic Games held in her adopted country.

But when it comes to racing, the 158km road race course in the countryside west of the French capital will not play to his strengths.

“I know it will be difficult,” he says.

“I like climbing and this (route) is for classic riders. But I’m doing my best and I want to enjoy my first Olympics and achieve my best results.

“I don’t want to aim for anything less. I will do my best to represent the refugees.”