Jimmy Thoronka

Last updated
Jimmy Thoronka
Personal information
Born (1994-06-06) 6 June 1994 (age 29)
Sport
Sport Athletics
Event(s) 60 metres, 100 metres

Jimmy Thoronka (born 6 June 1994) is a professional sprinter from Sierra Leone. He defected from his native country to live in England after competing in the 2014 Commonwealth Games. His mother and four siblings were killed by ebola, and he was arrested in March 2015 while living on the streets in London for "running while black". [1] [2] He then had a legal battle with the government of the United Kingdom after his application to stay was rejected. [3]

Contents

In May 2018, he was allowed to stay in the UK. [4]

Major international competitions

YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
2014 Commonwealth Games Glasgow, United Kingdom 6th (Heat 1, Heats) 4 × 100 m 40.55 [5]

Domestic competitions

YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
2018United Kingdom Indoor Championships Birmingham, United Kingdom 5th (Heat 5, Heats) 60m 7.00

[6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sierra Leone</span> Country on the southwest coast of West Africa

Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It shares its southeastern border with Liberia, and the northern half of the nation is surrounded by Guinea. Covering a total area of 71,740 km2 (27,699 sq mi), Sierra Leone has a tropical climate, with diverse environments ranging from savanna to rainforests. The country has a population of 7,092,113 as of the 2015 census. Freetown is the capital and largest city. The country is divided into five administrative regions, which are subdivided into 16 districts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces</span> Combined armed forces of Sierra Leone

The Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces are the armed forces of Sierra Leone, responsible for the territorial security of Sierra Leone's borders and defending the national interests of Sierra Leone, within the framework of the 1991 Sierra Leone Constitution and International laws. The armed forces were formed after independence in 1961, on the basis of elements of the former British Royal West African Frontier Force, then present in the Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Taylor (Liberian politician)</span> President of Liberia from 1997 to 2003

Charles McArthur Ghankay Taylor is a Liberian former politician and convicted war criminal who served as the 22nd president of Liberia from 2 August 1997 until his resignation on 11 August 2003 as a result of the Second Liberian Civil War and growing international pressure.

Valentine Esegragbo Melvine Strasser is a former Sierra Leonean military officer who served as head of state of Sierra Leone from 1992 to 1996. He became the world's youngest Head of State in 1992, seizing power three days after his 25th birthday.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julius Maada Bio</span> President of Sierra Leone since 2018

Julius Maada Wonie Bio is a Sierra Leonean politician, and the current president of Sierra Leone since 4 April 2018. He is a retired brigadier in the Sierra Leone Army and was the military head of state of Sierra Leone from 16 January 1996 to 29 March 1996, in a military junta government known as the National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diamonds from Sierra Leone</span> 2005 single by Kanye West

"Diamonds from Sierra Leone" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his second studio album, Late Registration (2005). The song was produced by West, Jon Brion, and Devo Springsteen. The producers, with the exception of Brion, are credited as songwriters alongside John Barry and Don Black, who both received credit due to their composition being sampled. The song was initially centered around the demise of Roc-A-Fella Records, though was later re-recorded once West learned about blood diamonds in Sierra Leone. West premiered the song for Hot 97 on April 20, 2005, before it was sent to US mainstream radio stations the following month as the album's lead single, through Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam. In the chorus, West interpolated the phrase "forever ever, forever ever" from Ms. Jackson by OutKast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Boit</span> Kenyan middle-distance athlete

Michael Kipsugut Boit is a Kenyan former professional middle-distance athlete whose career spanned fifteen years. He is a professor at Kenyatta University in the Department of Exercise and Sports Science. He is an uncle to Philip Boit, who became the first Kenyan athlete to compete in the Winter Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John McVicar</span> British journalist (1940–2022)

John McVicar was a British journalist and convicted one-time armed robber who escaped from prison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Margai</span> Sierra Leonean politician and constitutional lawyer

Charles Francis Kondo Margai is a Sierra Leonean politician and constitutional lawyer who served as Attorney General and Minister of Justice of Sierra Leone in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernest Bai Koroma</span> 4th President of Sierra Leone

Ernest Bai Koroma is a Sierra Leonean politician who served as the fourth President of Sierra Leone from 17 September 2007 to 4 April 2018.

Sir George Desmond Lorenz de Silva, was a British criminal law barrister and international lawyer who served as the United Nations Chief War Crimes Prosecutor in Sierra Leone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rabah Yousif</span>

Rabah Mahhamed Yousif Bkheit (born 11 December 1986) is a Sudanese-born British track and field athlete, who initially competed for Sudan before obtaining British citizenship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sierra Leone at the 2012 Summer Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Sierra Leone competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, from 27 July to 12 August 2012. This marked the nation's tenth appearance at the Summer Olympics since its debut in the 1968 Summer Olympics. The Sierra Leone delegation included two track and field athletes; Ibrahim Turay, a sprinter and Ola Sesay, a long jumper. Sesay and Turay were selected as flag bearers for the opening and closing ceremonies respectively. Neither of the two athletes progressed beyond the first round.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kendra Harrison</span> American hurdler

Kendra "Keni" Harrison is an American hurdler. Harrison held the world record in the women's 100 metres hurdles with a time of 12.20 seconds, set on July 22, 2016 at the London Müller Anniversary Games, breaking the previous world record of 12.21 seconds achieved nearly 28 years earlier by Bulgarian athlete Yordanka Donkova.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Omar McLeod</span> Jamaican athletics competitor

Omar McLeod is a Jamaican professional hurdler and sprinter competing in the 60 m hurdles and 110 m hurdles. In the latter event, he is the 2016 Olympic champion and 2017 World champion. He was NCAA indoor champion in the 60 m hurdles in 2014 and 2015 and outdoor champion in the 110 m hurdles in 2015; he turned professional after the 2015 collegiate season, forgoing his two remaining years of collegiate eligibility. His personal best in the 110 m hurdles ranks him equal 7th on the world all-time list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sierra Leone at the 2016 Summer Paralympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Sierra Leone sent a delegation to compete at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 to 18 September 2016. This was the nation's third time competing at the Summer Paralympic Games after it made its debut twenty years prior at the 1996 Summer Paralympics. The delegation consisted of a single athlete, table tennis player George Wyndham, who lost both of his preliminary round matches to Zhang Yan of China and Thailand's Wanchai Chaiwut in the men's singles class 4 tournament and advanced no further in the competition.

Elizabeth Stanfield Bell Wilson was a family planning physician and right to die campaigner. She founded the 408 Clinic, a women's health centre in Sheffield, and was a founder member of FATE, an organisation lobby for a change in legislation to allow assisted dying. In 2009, she was arrested by police in Surrey on suspicion of advising a woman who had advanced multiple sclerosis on how to end her life.

Mario Watts is a retired professional sprinter and hurdler from Jamaica. He won a silver medal at the 2001 World Championships in Athletics by virtue of running for his team in the preliminary rounds. At those same championships he also competed in the 400 meter hurdles where he advanced to the semifinals but did not advance to the finals.

Running while Black is a sardonic description of racial profiling experienced by Black runners in the United States and Canada. In the United States, jogging gained popularity after World War II, and has largely been portrayed by American media as an activity typically engaged in by White people; joggers of color are treated with suspicion. Black runners report taking precautions such as wearing bright colors to appear non-threatening, avoiding running outside of daylight hours, running in groups for safety, and avoiding running fast enough to appear to be "running away from something."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sierra Leonean nationality law</span> Law determining Sierra Leonean nationality

Sierra Leonean nationality law is regulated by the Constitution of Sierra Leone, as amended; the Citizenship Act, and its revisions; and various international agreements to which the country is a signatory. These laws determine who is, or is eligible to be, a national of Sierra Leone. The legal means to acquire nationality, formal legal membership in a nation, differ from the domestic relationship of rights and obligations between a national and the nation, known as citizenship. Nationality describes the relationship of an individual to the state under international law, whereas citizenship is the domestic relationship of an individual within the nation. In Britain and thus the Commonwealth of Nations, though the terms are often used synonymously outside of law, they are governed by different statutes and regulated by different authorities. Sierra Leonean nationality is based on descent from a person who is Negro-African, regardless of whether they were born in Sierra Leone, jus soli, or abroad to a Sierra Leonean, jus sanguinis. The Negro clause was inserted based upon the founding of the colony as a refuge for former slaves to prevent economically powerful communities from obtaining political power. It can be granted to persons with an affiliation to the country, or to a permanent resident who has lived in the country for a given period of time through naturalisation.

References

  1. "From top sprinter to homeless in London – what happened next to Jimmy Thoronka?". the Guardian. 19 May 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  2. "Top Sierra Leone athlete arrested after he was found living rough in London". TheGuardian.com .
  3. "Jimmy Thoronka: Home Office rejects application to stay in UK". TheGuardian.com .
  4. "Sierra Leonean athlete can stay in UK after three-year legal fight". TheGuardian.com .
  5. Jimmy Thoronka at Tilastopaja (registration required)
  6. Jimmy Thoronka at Tilastopaja (registration required)