Weightlifter Cyrille Tchatchet II: from homeless refugee to tea with the royals
Competing for the IOC Refugee Olympic Team at Tokyo 2020, the Cameroon-born weightlifter hopes to proudly represent his adopted nation, Great Britain, at Paris 2024.
"The Master of the King's Household is commanded by Their Majesties to invite Mr Cyrille Tchatchet II to a Humanitarian Reception to be given at Buckingham Palace by the King and Queen on Wednesday, 8th November, 2023 at 6.45 p.m."
Almost a decade on from standing on a cliff edge on the UK's south coast contemplating ending his life, the Cameroon-born weightlifter and Tokyo 2020 Olympian was invited to attend a reception with the King and Queen of England.
"Please don't wake me up!!!" posted the former refugee who now competes for his adopted nation, Great Britain, with his next competition the 2024 European Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, with his +96kg weight class competing on 18 February.
"Let me continue my dream. Only a few hours to go until I meet Their Majesties The King and Queen at Buckingham Palace."
Comments responding to the post revealed some of those who supported Tchachet on his road to tea with the royals, and his current hope of qualifying for a second Olympic Games, at Paris 2024.
"Have an amazing time, Cyrille!" offered @unrefugeesuk.
The IOC Refugee Olympic Team, who had selected Tchatchet as one of 29 athletes competing in 12 sports at the Games in Japan, via Olympic Scholarships for Refugee Athletes, needed no words, posting "😍😍😍".
"Amazing ❤️" wrote the people behind We Dare to Dream, a documentary co-produced by actor Angelina Jolie that showcases the stories of displaced athletes, including Tchatchet, on their pathway towards the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
- As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.
- Click here to see the official qualification system for each sport.
Red carpets and Olympic dreams
The documentary facilitated another out-of-this-world moment when Tchatchet walked the red carpet alongside supporters such as Harry Potter actor, Emma Watson, and education activist Malala Yousafzai at the London premiere in November.
"I've watched the film a few times now and I always get emotional with the stories of myself and my teammates from the refugee Olympic team," said Tchatchet when speaking exclusively to Olympics.com at the premiere.
"I think we send a message of hope to the world. We show the world that being a refugee is not the end. We show to the world that we can go through challenges and achieve big dreams."
The last part is particularly representative of Tchachet who chose to train as a mental health nurse after his own experiences with depression that led to him standing, distressed, on the cliff top in Brighton.
Cyrille Tchatchet's journey from refugee to Olympian
The now 28-year-old had taken up the sport in his home country of Cameroon after seeing a poster of a weightlifter on a wall and deciding that's what he wanted to do.
By 2014, he was competing for his birth nation at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Fearing for his safety if he returned home – something he is still unable to discuss – he left the athlete's village and was directed by a stranger to put distance between himself and Scotland, which is how he found himself on the south coast of England, in Brighton.
Homeless and hungry for two months, the then 19-year-old descended into a mental health crisis.
A charity's sign at the cliff's edge, offered help for anyone in emotional distress, so the teenager called the Samaritans and received the immediate support he needed.
The next chain of events led to him receiving treatment for his mental health followed by help with applying for asylum in the UK, but Tchatchet never forgot that initial point of contact that saved his life.
Paying it forward
Wanting to give back to the community that helped him, he now works as a mental health nurse having graduated with a first-class degree from Middlesex University in 2019.
The college experience also offered more than just education for Tchatchet, who continued to train alongside his studies.
"Middlesex has been more than an academic environment, it is a community and a home," is a quote from Tchatchet writ large on the wall at the university gym.
'Home', such a small word, but massive in meaning for the more than 108 million displaced people worldwide, a figure that includes 35 million refugees.
This former refugee, now a British citizen, is not only proud to fly the flag for displaced souls the world over but for his adopted nation, too.
Documenting one of his proudest sporting moments on his socials on 15 July 2023, Tchatchet posted:
"Did a thing today!!
Competed at the 2023 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships and won a Gold medal for my country. That's all I wanted to say. Thank you."
Meanwhile, on International Day of the Nurse, on 12 May 2023, Tchatchet's heartfelt post revealed much: "I would like to show my gratitude to all the people I have cared for. It has been a privilege and an honour. Thank you for trusting me."
Still not an easy road, Tchachet wrote in the first days of 2024: "Last year, a lot of good things happened in my life, and yet I fought a lot of demons in my head."
Yet, despite ongoing challenges, he has hope that by sharing his story openly, such as in the We Dare to Dream documentary, people will get to see the person behind the 'refugee' label.
"I hope that this film opens our hearts and makes us more understanding and compassionate. Refugees and displaced people can be assets for the development of our societies."
There's no better representative than Cyrille Tchatchet II.