athlete jimmy thoronka, who went missing after glasgow's commonwealth games last summer, is now applying for asylum in the uk after he was found sleeping rough on the streets of london sierra leone's top sprinter disappeared at the end of the games and failed to return to the ebola hit west african country already orphaned by the war in his homeland, he claims that his entire adopted family have been wiped out by the disease while he has been in the uk jimmy thoronka, carrying the commonwealth baton in sierra leone, has applied for asylum in great britian  he was arrested on friday and quizzed by officers over whether he was carrying or using drugs, which he denied he has since applied for asylum and has been released into home office accommodation thoronka, who said that he wanted to claim asylum in the uk so he could fulfill his dream of becoming a top athlete, now faces deportation an online petition appealing to the authorities to let mr thoronka remain in the uk has so far attracted more than 57,000 signatures and well wishers have donated more than £24,000 to help the young athlete  among the high profile names to support his plight are supermodel lily cole, and comedian russell brand the guardian said it had interviewed thoronka before he was detained for overstaying his visa he claimed there were no flights to sierra leone immediately after the games and his team mates all scattered, some staying with relatives and friends until they could return home but he said his own bag    containing his money and passport    were stolen his visa expired last september and after a brief stint with friends, he has been sleeping on the streets in parks and on buses ever since an online petition  to let mr thoronka remain in the uk has so far attracted more than 57,000 signatures and well wishers have donated more than £24,000 to help the young athlete  he today told the bbc's sarah montague that he wanted to claim asylum in the uk so he could fulfill his dream of becoming a top athlete  asylum is only granted to those who are in fear of persecution in their home country he said of sierra leone: 'nobody persecute me or anything, my problem is i don't have a family there to stay with the person who would help me has passed by ebola if i go back i will not make it and i will kill myself, because i cannot pursue my dream i want to be the fastest sprinter in the world' when thoronka, the country's no 1 100m sprinter, left sierra leone for glasgow, some ebola cases had been confirmed in a few of the villages surrounding freetown, but the epidemic had not yet taken hold of the capital the death toll in the country is now more than 3,500 cases the 100m sprinter, not pictured here, says he wants to stay in england to become a world class sprinter  the runner said: 'i was hoping to win a medal for my country but during the games i got the terrible news that my uncle had died, probably from ebola 'i couldn't stop crying it was difficult to continue with competing but i tried to carry on' he is not working illegally, nor claiming benefits or housing, and understands the legal implications of remaining in the uk after his visa has expired, but said his situation is hopeless after the games, he stayed for a while with friends in leicester   and found out that his entire immediate family had been killed by ebola later he went to london and began sleeping in parks and on night buses and begging for £1 from passers by to buy chips 'some days i get no food at all i wash in public toilets and sleep in the park,' he said 'i wake up around 4am and if i've got a bus pass i get on the night bus and sleep there until morning hampden park in glasgow was the venue for the track and field events during the commonwealth games  'i met a man who sometimes lets me sleep at his house but i have to wait outside for him to come home at 10 or 11pm and i get very cold 'we have a cold season in sierra leone but it is not cold like england some days i don't think i'm going to make it and just feel like killing myself 'my dream is to become one of the best sprinters in the world but i don't see how that can happen now'
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