Tadesse Abraham was born on 12 August 1982 in rural
Asmara as the son of a farmer. Initially, he showed interest in
cycling and wanted to be a cyclist rather than a runner growing up. Eritrea has a long tradition in cycling, which is its most popular sport and was introduced by the Italians when Eritrea was a still a colony. Bicycles are rampant in Asmara, with many people, no matter their age or gender, using them daily for recreation and as a method of transportation. However, Tadesse fell and broke his bike. His parents could not afford to replace it, so he turned to running instead at age 15 after having to walk up to 20 kilometres regularly to reach school punctually. He developed his skills this way and became the fastest in his school. His teacher encouraged him to continue. His professional career started in 2001. He represented his home country of Eritrea until the
2004 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in
Brussels, Belgium on 21 March. Then, he escaped from the team with a colleague and headed directly to
Geneva, Switzerland where he arrived as a
refugee seeking asylum at the young age of 21. Political problems in Eritrea pushed him to permanently leave the country in search of a better life. He elected to settle in Switzerland because of its neutrality.
2004–2014: Coming to Switzerland Tadesse remembers the first few years being challenging due to the fact that he spoke English as opposed to the
Swiss German language and knew no one around the area. He was alone in a foreign land with little to no possibilities. Everything was different to him, including the food and culture. But, eventually, he integrated well to life in Switzerland. Prior to his naturalisation, his running career stagnated somewhat as he was stationed at a refugee camp that rendered him incapable of going out for three months. THSN supports vulnerable people, such as migrants and refugees, on the THSN Refugee Team realise their dreams. The team of about 20 diverse athletes benefits from the assistance. They can potentially become the best in their sport or secure apprenticeships in whatever area they choose. Tadesse serves as the charity's ambassador. Additionally, he helps coach athletes whenever he has the time and shares ideas with the coaching party at the charity. ==Career==