Weightlifter Simplice Ribouem's heroic journey to Rio

Cameroon-born weightlifter Simplice Ribouem is one competition away from qualifying for his first Olympics representing Australia - 10 years after first seeking asylum in Australia.

Ribouem lives in an apartment in Melbourne with his wife and two sons, Samuel and Nathan - both are committed 'Daddy's boys'.

The four and two-year-olds climb on top of their dad, trying to lift his massive arms off the couch, then squealing with laughter as they're scooped up and lifted high into the air.

The idyllic family scene a world away from Ribouem's first days in Australia after deciding to seek asylum.

"First couple of nights were really hard. I slept outside the village in a park in Brunswick on a bench, it was freezing, I had no blanket," he said.

He first arrived in Melbourne for the Commonwealth Games in 2006, winning bronze for Cameroon.

But, the prospect of going back to a life of hardship and poverty in the central African country led him to a heart-breaking decision - whether to return to his parents in Cameroon or stay and seek asylum in Australia.

He chose the latter.

"My Dad said follow your heart, don't listen to what everyone else said, follow what your heart says," he said.

He said every hard time in Cameroon convinced him to take the opportunity and not watch it pass by.

The Red Cross helped him back on his feet, then four years later he again made Commonwealth selection for the games in New Delhi, but this time, he wore the uniform of an Australian athlete and this time, he brought home gold.

Now he's hoping to do the same at this year's Olympics in Rio.

["Olympic is the final destination for every athlete, because after Olympic there is no more competition, so everyone want to hit the Olympics."]

The Olympics in Rio could be his final chance.

Coach Yurik Sarkisyan said his 33-year-old pupil could soon face retirement.

"He's a little bit now older, recovering takes longer after a big competition and his body movement is getting slower," Sarkisyan said.

Ribouem lifted into Olympic contention at the Australian Open in Brisbane, with a total of 351kgs in the men's 94kgs division.

He has one final hurdle this May at the 2016 Oceania Championships in Fiji, where he'll need to win to retain the spot he's already technically qualified for in the Olympic squad.

Australia has had only one Olympic gold medallist in weightlifting - Dean Lukin in 1984.

Ribouem is hoping to become the second, and complete his journey from refugee to Olympic champion.

"I think if I win gold in Rio I'm pretty sure all the world will turn around and look at my journey, from Cameroon to Australia, and to that level and everyone going to say wow what sort of story he got, from the bottom to the top."

Leaving him with one last challenge, getting his mother to Australia to finally meet her grandsons.

Despite applying for the past three years, Ribouem has been unsuccessful in getting a visa for his mother.

He said after he failed to return to Cameroon, the country's government had persecuted his family and with his father's passing last year, he fears for his mother's safety.

"I have rented her a place very far away from the city to keep her safe," he said.

"I pay her money every month to stay there quietly and send them (the family) money to survive.

The way they treat my family over there is not good."