{"id":413167,"date":"2026-04-23T09:01:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T09:01:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/413167\/"},"modified":"2026-04-23T09:01:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T09:01:09","slug":"irish-citizenship-saved-hiko-tonosas-life-now-hes-eyeing-a-place-at-the-olympics-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/413167\/","title":{"rendered":"Irish citizenship saved Hiko Tonosa\u2019s life. Now he\u2019s eyeing a place at the Olympics \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

A shade over 42 kilometres, or 26.2 miles in old money, the marathon is an endeavour of resilience. The story of how Hiko Tonosa came to represent Ireland draws few parallels.<\/p>\n

Originally from Shashamane in Ethiopia, around 250km south of the country\u2019s capital Addis Ababa, Tonosa came to Ireland in July 2017 to compete at two events, the Morton Games in Dublin <\/a>and Cork City Sports. It was a decision that may have saved his life.<\/p>\n

Towards the end of 2016, he took part in a demonstration in Ethiopia protesting the oppression of Oromo people, the African nation\u2019s largest ethnic group. He was arrested at the protest and subsequently detained for three months. Following his release, Tonosa\u2019s agent secured him starting spots at the two Irish events.<\/p>\n

On the morning he was due to compete in the 5,000m at the Morton Games, he learned his friend, a fellow athlete, had been shot dead by authorities in Ethiopia. Reeling from the news, he still managed to clock 13:52.72 and his plan to return home remained unchanged. But a week later, while in Cork<\/a>, Tonosa received a call warning him it was not safe to return to Ethiopia due to his involvement in the protest the previous year. With little in the way of options, the then 21-year-old applied for asylum in Ireland.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was very difficult, the first year,\u201d Tonosa says of his start in Ireland. \u201cIt was difficult because the language and cultures and everything. Learning English, improving my running, getting back to my training fully. It was difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not only adrift from his established training group, he quickly learned the Direct Provision system is a far cry from a suitable environment for someone aspiring to be a high-level athlete.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe big thing for me was the room,\u201d he says. \u201cYou\u2019re sharing with the people. When I wanted to rest, [roommates] didn\u2019t want to rest. When you want to see TV or watch a movie, or something like that [and they don\u2019t]. <\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone has a different life . . . If they disturb me, I will leave the room. If they are sleeping, I have to go to bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"HikoHiko Tonosa representing Ireland in the half marathon at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome. Photograph: Morgan Treacy\/Inpho <\/p>\n

Throughout that challenging period, running was his great escape. It helped him navigate his new life in Ireland.<\/p>\n

He joined Dundrum South Dublin Athletics Club and later linked up with coach Feidhlim Kelly in the Dublin Track Club.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will give all credit [to] my clubs and people around me. A lot of people, especially around athletics [who] supported me,\u201d says Tonosa.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy clubs stood with me. They helped me for running and said \u2018you will be okay soon, don\u2019t worry, you will be good in the future\u2019. I can\u2019t say thank you, it\u2019s not enough, so I will say God bless you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Receiving his Irish citizenship<\/a> in March 2020 marked a turning point in his life, on and off the track. It meant the cloud of uncertainty and fear which had for years hung over him finally started to dissipate.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a special day for me,\u201d he says of the ceremony in Killarney, Co Kerry. At last able to live, work and travel without restrictions, Tonosa could turn his focus back to competing at the highest level. <\/p>\n

Kelly suggested he should look to represent Ireland, now that he had his passport. The thought had never crossed Tonosa\u2019s mind, but it came to pass in December 2021 when he was one of a five-strong Irish field in the men\u2019s senior race at the European Cross-Country Championships in Dublin. Tonosa was first of the Irish contingent home in 13th. The race was won by two-time Olympic gold medallist Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway.<\/p>\n

\"HikoHiko Tonosa receives his Irish citizenship at a ceremony in Killarney, Co Kerry, in 2020. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat was my beginning,\u201d says Tonosa, adding he now wants to represent the country that offered him safe harbour to the best of his ability.<\/p>\n

In the closing stretch of the 2024 Dublin Marathon<\/a>, cheered home by an exuberant crowd, Tonosa scanned for a Tricolour to hold as he crossed the finish line to claim the national title in 2:09.42 \u2013 a then Irish record.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe big goal was to hold the flag,\u201d the 30-year-old recalls. \u201cWhen I was in trouble, I got a chance from that flag, from the [Irish] people, to live.\u201d<\/p>\n

But he naturally still feels the pull of Ethiopia. He misses friends and family, especially his mother.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s very surprised,\u201d Tonosa says of her thoughts on him representing Ireland. \u201cI got my first [Ireland] jersey and got a picture and sent it to her. She doesn\u2019t have a smartphone, so my brother showed her. And then after I run, I sent a video and I spoke to her as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was surprised and she was crying. She\u2019s so happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

After a 2025 season hampered by injury, he returned to action at the Paris Marathon on April 12th. His time of 2:29.57 in the French capital was some way off his 2024 personal best, but it\u2019s a starting point.<\/p>\n

And the end point?<\/p>\n

\u201cI promised myself [I\u2019d] try do something special. I want to go to the Olympics. But not only go, to run very well.\u201d<\/p>\n

That Irish passport will still be in date for a spin to LA in 2028.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A shade over 42 kilometres, or 26.2 miles in old money, the marathon is an endeavour of resilience.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":413168,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[61,60,147477,112],"class_list":["post-413167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-joining-the-team","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/413167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=413167"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/413167\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/413168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=413167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=413167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=413167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}