Ghanaian Frimpong ‘feels like a gold medallist’ despite last place
>> PYEONGCHANG: Ghana’s Akwasi Frimpong finished last in his Winter Olympics debut but was a smash-hit nonetheless with his plucky efforts in the crackpot sliding sport of skeleton yesterday.
The 32-year-old, who spent two years selling vacuum cleaners doorto-door to finance his unlikely journey to Pyeongchang, now can’t wait to take a deserved break and go lie on a beach.
“I’m going to take my wife on vacation,” Frimpong told AFP.
“I don’t know where yet, but somewhere warm — I want the sun and the sand. Hopefully I can surprise her by taking her somewhere like Hawaii. Or maybe the Dominican Republic, where we went on honeymoon.”
Despite freezing temperatures Frimpong has lit up the Olympic skeleton competition.
He trailed home in 30th position — over 11 seconds behind eventual winner Yun Sung-Bin of South Korea after his third and final run — but still felt like a champion.
“I came last but the most important thing is that I won the hearts of the people,” said Frimpong, who previously failed to qualify for the Olympics as a sprinter and in bobsleigh.
“The Olympic experience was awesome. I’ve never been in a place where so many people are cheering you on,” he added after becoming only the second athlete from Ghana to compete at a Winter Games.
“You feel like you’re a gold medallist, that’s how they make you feel each run. It’s incredible.”
Frimpong smiled sheepishly when asked what it feels like to throw oneself off an icy mountain headfirst at 125kph on what looks, to the casual observer at least, like a glorified baking tray.
“You definitely have to be a little bit crazy,” he laughed. “But it’s also about chasing the unknown. You gotta try something different — life is all about trial and error.”
Watched by his wife Erica and their 10-month-old daughter Ashanti, Frimpong’s appearance triggered a huge roar from Korean fans, as well as a vocal, flag-waving group of supporters from his native Ghana.