GOING FOR GOLD

I wanted to give back to Nigeria from back in 2004 watching the Summer Olympic Games; I knew that if I ever did anything in athletics at the professional level, I would want it for Nigeria, because this is how I can project my country positively. - SEUN

Seun Adigun, Ngozi Onwumere and Akuoma Omeoga are shaping history to become Nigeria’s first women’s Bobsled team, Simidele Adeagbo also makes history in the Skeleton sports. More importantly, these ladies are the first Africans to compete in the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang as no African country has ever been represented. These four amazing women, as we speak, are in South Korea doing our country proud! 30 years after the Jamaican men’s bobsled team took the sports world by storm at the 1988 Calgary Olympics, the Nigerian women are poised to become Pyeongchang’s unlikeliest stars. Seun is the driver while Akuoma and Ngozi are the brake women for the bobsled team; Simi on the other hand, is competing in the Skeleton sport. All women hope to secure medals for Nigeria and Africa. On their recent trip to Lagos for a rousing send off by their major sponsors, Visa, FUNKE BABS-KUFEJI AND KONYE NWABOGOR shared a moment with the ladies.

How did you feel when you qualified for the Winter Olympics? SEUN:

There really wasn’t an exact moment where we qualified, because there were things that we needed to do to achieve our goal. But when it was finally verified, back in January, it was a sigh of relief, because we knew all our efforts was worth something.

AKUOMA:

When we had finished the qualifying race, I felt a sense of relief. It was just another part of the journey that we had to complete. So it’s like a milestone but not the finish line.

NGOZI:

I think that when we qualified, it was just like full circle. We started a year prior to this and we thought that we could get to this point, but at that point we could not see the finish line. So it came full circle.

Why did you choose to represent Nigeria instead of the country of your birth and how did your parents feel? Have you ever competed for Nigerian before? SEUN:

Although I was born in the United States, the country that I was raised under is Nigerian. Both of my parents are Nigerian and that’s what we know in the house and we were made to understand that we were Nigerians first but born in America. So this was something that I knew, I wanted to give back to Nigeria from back in 2004 watching the Summer Olympic Games; I knew that if I ever did anything in athletics at the professional level, I would want it for Nigeria, because this is how I can project my country positively.

I also competed for Nigeria in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games between 2009 and 2012.

AKUOMA:

I have never represented Nigeria before so when I had this opportunity, I took it, especially because being born American, it is very important to feel and stay connected. And I know that there are other ways that I have done that prior to being on this team. But then this team actually solidified what I could contribute to being a Nigerian.

NGOZI:

I just know that this is something different, something that Nigeria and Africa have not experienced before, so it was very appealing for me. I’ve represented Nigeria in Track and Field and I feel I needed a breath of fresh air but also needed something that would reach the people and be different than what we’ve done before in inspiring the youth.

What inspired you into bobsledding and who initially came up with the idea? How did you convince the others to join you? SEUN:

I was inspired by some of my former track and field friends when I was supporting them in 2014 at the Sochi Winter Olympics. It was then I thought about the idea of getting into another sport that I realised that Nigerians have never had any Winter Olympians and Africa had never been represented in the sport of Bobsled. That’s when I decided to get into the sport and recruit other ladies to start this journey with me for the Nigerian Team. We later inspired Simi to join us on the Skeleton side. That right there was probably the moment we realised that this was bigger than each of us. It was what we needed to do for the world, for the continent of Africa.

AKUOMA:

I did not have any aspiration to go into Bobsled. It was just the idea that this was

When we had finished the qualifying race, I felt a sense of relief. It was just another part of the journey that we had to complete. So it’s like a milestone but not the finish line. - AKUOMA

something different, something adventurous and that was going to grab attention to inspire.

NGOZI:

It’s great that people will be able to experience Nigerians playing sports such as bobsled and skeleton, which will bring back positivity into Nigerian athletics so people can see it in a different light.

How did you learn without the equipment itself and what did you use as your makeshift? What is the name of the sled you initially used for your training? SEUN:

I learnt first when I joined the U.S team for a year. And while I was on that team, I designed a wooden bobsled called ‘the Mayflower’, since I was still in school and I needed a training tool. That was what basically started like the Bobsled 101 tool that helped us form a new team for Nigeria.

AKUOMA:

The ‘Mayflower’ was actually the tool that Ngozi and I to perfect our skills. Seun was the one who taught us how to be brake women.

NGOZI:

With Bobsled, I learned the fundamentals from Seun, but a lot of what you learn is on the go and actually experiencing the races.

Can you explain bobsledding and it’s speed? SEUN:

For women, there are two people on a sled; there is a driver who sits in the front, and a brakeman who sits in the back. Men can have two-men or four-men. The brakeman’s job is to be the motor of the sled at the top, so you basically start from a higher elevation and you are going low, like you start at the top of a mountain and go to the bottom. At the top, both the driver and the brakeman contact the sled at the same time and that’s called ‘a hit’. What that means is that it propels the sled to maximum velocity from the starting point at zero. We both jump into the sled and the brakeman just basically hunkers down and faces forward with their legs stretched out; the driver gets in the seat and is the only one looking forward, driving the sled down the track successfully. When the finish line is crossed, the brakeman then gets up and pulls the brake to slow down the sled.

What role does each person play and whose is most significant? What do you need to be able to ride, push and drive the sled? SEUN:

Each role is very significant. Without the brakeman, you don’t have max velocity or someone to stop the sled once you cross the finish line. Without the driver you don’t have someone that navigates the track successfully; so each role has a very specific and important place in the sport.

Did you get your inspiration from the famous movie Cool Runnings? SEUN:

No. It’s a great reference considering they are legends and people are still singing their praises 30 years later, which is the type of influence we will like to give to people as well. But we didn’t like the movie neither did we decide to recreate it.

What are other physical training exercises you have to do for the sport itself? AKUOMA:

We do strengthening, conditioning and training. We lift all types of weights; sprinting, heel workouts.

NGOZI:

A lot of what we do in Bobsled is fitness and conditioning. You have a gym. To be successful in Bobsled, you have to be very fast and strong on ice.

How did you raise funds to pursue your goal to this level? SEUN:

The first thing we did was launch a Gofundme, which was our ability to not only create awareness, but also to raise the money we needed to get through the seasons. And it was through that we ended up catching the attention of Visa, who then came on board and became one of the most important sponsors that we have, lifting us up to exactly where we needed to be, fund-wise.

It’s great that people will be able to experience Nigerians playing sports such as Bobsled and Skeleton, which will bring back positivity into Nigerian athletics so people can see it in a different light. - NGOZI

What role has Visa played to make your dream a reality? Tell us about the Team Visa program. SEUN:

Team Visa has come in and helped us reach our set targets. They brought us in with their innovative mindset and jumping on board in terms of bringing Bobsled and Skeleton to Africa. They are the leading digital payments company in the world. This is the brand that we have known our entire lives, it’s what we’ve paid with. So knowing that they back our dreams and support what we are doing makes it a beautiful partnership.

When you are not training or not preparing for a competition, what do each of you most enjoy doing in your free time? SEUN:

Sleep. I just hang out with family; spend some time with them.

AKUOMA:

I also like to spend time with friends and family; but I also write in my spare time.

NGOZI:

I get to watch every show I’ve missed.

How do your parents feel about this? SEUN:

Our parents are pretty supportive of what we are doing, which is a breath of fresh air, because this is very unique and also can be considered quite dangerous. And I think that as Nigerian parents, they expect us to do the more traditional things like being a lawyer, a doctor, or an engineer. So I think having the support of our parents is a huge thing.

What will you want Nigerians to remember you for? AKUOMA:

I would like Nigeria to remember us just for being us. I think that we have been unapologetically ourselves through this journey, the ability to stay true to who we are with full intention of representing the sports as well as my country. I don’t think that you have to sacrifice one for the other.

NGOZI:

I would like for Nigeria to remember us as Nigerians and know that Nigerians can exist in multiple ways. There is not just one way to be a Nigerian; we all come from different backgrounds. So I will like them to remember that Nigeria means diversity and that you can come from different backgrounds and still love your culture and still be very cultured.

SEUN:

I want Nigerians or anyone really to see what we are doing and be inspired to tackle the fear of the unknown, no matter what it is, whether it is in sports, school, that they should not be limited by the things that they do not completely understand; sometimes you just have to take that leap of faith, open the door and give it your best.