The current weightlifting champion for England lives in Bristol and hopes to fulfil his ambition of competing in the Olympic Games in 2024, but his status in the UK remains uncertain. Ramiro Mora Romero, who is 25-years-old, came to the UK in 2019 as part of a circus group.
Being part of the circus gave Ramiro the opportunity to travel to the UK but weightlifting is his real passion and before moving to England, he had competed in the sport in Cuba. Despite Ramiro currently holding the English weightlifting title for his category he is not able to register for the Olympic Games, or receive sponsorship, due to his asylum seeker status.
Ramiro is currently not allowed to work, and like other asylum seekers awaiting a decision from the Home Office on their right to remain in the UK, he has no recourse to public funds and has to live off £40 a week to cover food and any other expenses. He currently lives in a house share in the centre of Bristol and was sent to the city by the Home Office after living for a period in a hotel, and the Napier Barracks in Folkestone, where he stayed for just over two months.
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After working as an Aerialist in Blackpool and then Winter Wonderland in central London, he met a British coach who helped him get back into weightlifting. He then trained and competed with London Olympic Weightlifting Academy (LOWA) before moving to Bristol.
In November 2022 Ramiro won the 89kg men’s title in the England Championships and secured three British records in the process. He currently trains at a gym in Fishponds and volunteers at a gym in Emerson’s Green, assisting children who train there.
Speaking to Bristol Live Ramiro said: “When I returned to Cuba after staying for two years in England, I participated in a protest in Havana in 2021 and the police were looking for me before I left. I don’t have family anymore in Cuba, my mum and dad are both dead.
“At 25-years-old I didn’t want to go to prison in Cuba where we don't have freedom of speech, so I returned to England and made an application for asylum. I was in a hotel in London and then they sent me to an army barracks in Folkestone.
“I met a coach when I was in London who supported me financially so I could train in weightlifting and compete. He helped me a lot and within six months I became the English weightlifting champion, it’s what anyone would want.
“I get £40 a week for food and I’m not allowed to work so I volunteer helping kids in a gym in Emersons Green. I love helping people at the gym. When I can help others it reduces my stress because otherwise I’m just sitting at home with nothing to do. I am still training too because I want to go to the Olympics and I am looking for every way possible to fulfil that dream.”
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