Abyu hits gold trail

Tomas Abyu will look to land an Olympic dream on the streets of London today - after escaping a civil war in Ethiopia that killed his father.

Abyu, 29, gained British citizenship in 2005 and if he runs 2hrs 11mins or under in the Flora London Marathon he should secure a place in the team for Beijing.

It would be an incredible story for a runner who has trained with the legendary Haile Gebrselassie yet knew he had no choice but to leave his home.

"My father was a farmer, an innocent person," he said. "He was no politician. It was a very bad time. I just managed to escape."

Abyu, who lives in Manchester, arrived in 1999. He has returned to Ethiopia since and he added: "Haile and I were born in the same region, he is my hero."