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Iranian Saeid Fazloula
has one goal firmly in focus
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to compete in Tokyo
as a member of the Refugee Olympic team.
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I would be very proud,
the life of a refugee isn't easy
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a lot of people don't know that.
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In 2015, Saeid escaped from Iran
via the Balkans fearing for his life.
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During the
World Canoe Sprint Championships
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he took a selfie
in front of the Milan cathedral,
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the Iranian regime accused him
of having converted to Christianity,
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which carries a death sentence.
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He found a new home in Karlsruhe.
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He's devoted the past 17 years of his life
to competitive sports,
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after he settled in Germany
kayaking remained his top priority.
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We have three to four
training sessions a day
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from Monday through to Saturday,
each is one is one to one and a half hours.
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We always have
a half a day off on Wednesdays,
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but we always have fitness training,
running, and paddle sessions.
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Saeid Fazloula has found a friend
in the 1996 Olympic Kayak Champion
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Detlef Hofmann, he's there for Saeid
whenever he needs motivation.
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I was depressed one and a half months ago,
I came to Detlef and I said
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I want to quit
but I talked to Detlef a lot.
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He sees me as a replacement father figure.
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His exact words were 8th or 9th
would be great but please don't give up.
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And I said, OK,
it's my one and only chance,
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I'll use it to show them who I am,
that's all I can do.
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That really worked out great,
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because he went on
to win at the World Cup,
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and he'll be hoping he'll be able
to give his all at Tokyo too.
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Amplifying Voices
