In a historic moment for refugee athletes worldwide, Guillaume Junior Atangana etched his name in the record books by becoming the first refugee athlete to win a title at the World Para Athletics Championships 2025. At the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi, the visually impaired sprinter clocked 51.95 seconds in the 400m T11 category, securing gold and his season’s best performance.
“I am a World champion finally. We have been working hard for this,” said an emotional Atangana, who runs with his guide, Donard Ndim Nyamjua.
Cameroon wanted to pursue Football
Born in Cameroon, Atangana initially dreamed of becoming a professional footballer. But at the age of 8, his life took a turn when a botched malaria medication caused an allergic reaction, damaging his nervous system and leading to total vision loss by age 12. “He lost his sight due to an allergic reaction to malaria drugs,” confirmed Donard.
Despite the setback, Atangana was determined to stay in sports. Encouraged by friends, he turned to para athletics in 2016. “I never won any medal. But I decided not to give up,” he recalled. After a fourth-place finish at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, Atangana moved to England in hopes of better support. However, life there brought fresh challenges; he lost his asylum papers, and his guide was injured.
“I left my home country for better chances… but I lost all my papers and after that, my guide was also injured,” he said. “It was a barrage of setbacks. I believed in God and kept doing my hard work.” The duo eventually joined BKS Disability Athletics Club, under coach Janet-Alison Arkwright, and began rebuilding.
Paris Breakthrough
The turning point came at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, where Atangana won bronze and was named flag-bearer for the refugee team. “As I say always, my Paris bronze medal is worth the gold. It is the hope for the refugees around the world.” Cameroon added.