Sierra Leone 100m sprinter Jimmy Thoronka has been offered a University scholarship following his arrest for deportation.
Thoronka had seemingly vanished after competing in the 4x100m relay race in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games last year. However, 20-year-old was arrested in March this year, after being found homeless and starving in the streets of London.
The sprinter had attempted to stay in the UK, following the devastating news that his entire family had died in Sierra Leone from the ebola virus.
News of this tragic story swept Britain. Now, the University of East London (UEL) has offered him a scholarship which, if granted a visa by the home office, would place Thoronka on a two-year foundation degree course.
Thoronka has been dubbed as possibly becoming being one of the fastest sprinters in the world, and the course will focus on taking sport into the community.
In an act of true altrusim, a student from Cambridge University set up a fundraising page following the athlete’s devastating ordeal. It has since gone on to raise £30,000 to help Thoronka “rebuild his life and career”.
