Athlete Refugee Team member Omar Hassan in Font-Romeu (© Christel Saneh for World Athletics)
This feature is the first in a five-part series sharing the stories of refugee athletes Farida Abaroge, Seyd Taha Ghafari, Omar Hassan, Emmanuel Kiruhura Ntagunga and Seyfu Jamaal Tahir as they seek selection to the Athlete Refugee Team (ART) at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25.
------
For Omar Hassan, the emotion he experiences when completing a marathon holds deeper meaning.
“Every time I finish a marathon, I cry,” says the 34-year-old, who ran for the Athlete Refugee Team at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23. “If you ask me: ‘Why are you crying, Omar? You are at the finish line, you did very well’, I remember all the pain I’ve been through, all the work it took me to get to where I am, and the journey was tough.
“People didn’t believe in me, and I had a lot of doubts. When you reach the finish line, it all comes out.
“Running was therapy.”
Hassan was born in Ethiopia and has since found refuge in Denmark. This is his journey.
View the full video feature on World Athletics Watch.
Video features on Farida Abaroge, Seyd Taha Ghafari, Emmanuel Kiruhura Ntagunga and Seyfu Jamaal Tahir will be published on World Athletics Watch during the next five weeks.
Interview and video production by Christel Saneh for World Athletics
