Moving out of her comfort zone
SIMIDELE Adeagbo is no thrill-seeker. The 36-year-old Nigerian athlete admits that she prefers to “play it safe”. “I don’t do roller-coasters, bungee jumps or anything like that. I’m the complete opposite. I like to be safe and buckled up,” Adeagbo says, giggling. So it’s hard to understand why the Nigerian athlete would voluntarily choose to launch herself face-down on a frozen skeleton race track at speeds of almost 130km/h. “I won’t lie, the first time I was terrified. My heart was racing, and I wasn’t sure what to expect, going down on ice, head-first, at those speeds. I am not a daredevil.” But by choosing to get out of her comfort zone, Adeagbo is on the verge of making history. She is one race away from becoming Nigeria and Africa’s first female Skeleton athlete at the Winter Olympics in South Korea next year. Skeleton is a winter sliding sport in which a person rides a small sled, known as a skeleton sleigh, down a frozen track while lying face-down.
Adeagbo is a four-time National Collegiate Athletic Association All-American and triple jump school record-holder, but called it quits on her track and field career nine years ago.
“I went on with my life. I have a great career, and was given the opportunity to come to South Africa for a wonderful job.”
Adeagbo’s journey to PyeongChang began in August in Houston, Texas, where she took part in the first Nigerian Bobsled and Skeleton Federation try-outs.
After a successful try-out, she was invited for a team camp in Canada. Ultimately, Adeagbo saw an opportunity to apply her talent and serve her country in the sport.
She is now just one race away from achieving her dream at her final qualifying race in New York next month.
“For me, this journey has mostly been about how I can move the world of sport forward and how I can contribute to the African sports landscape,” says Adeagbo.
While she says she hopes to win a medal at her first Olympics, she says qualifying would be a huge accomplishment.
“Medals are great, and I’m definitely going to do my best, but for me winning is all about that moment to break those barriers, that moment where I can inspire somebody else to see sport differently,” she says.
Nigeria will also have its biggest ever representation at the Winter Games.
“I think, as an athlete, competing at an Olympic Games is the pinnacle of your career.
“I appreciate the bigger significance of the journey – so it’s not just about me and what this represents for Nigeria, but the continent of Africa.”