Bobsledding might not exactly be the national pastime in Nigeria, but three women are on a mission to change that — and do a lot more. Seun Adigun, Ngozi Onwumere, and Akuoma Omeoga have set up a GO FUND ME PAGE to finance their hopes of setting up a bobsledding federation for their country and all of Africa, so they can pursue their dream of qualifying for the 2018 Winter Games. Qualifying for the Olympic games would make them the first Nigerian team ever to compete in bobsledding for the Winter Olympics — and doing so would “represent monumental international advancements in social, athletic, and economic statuses,” Adigun argues. In order to compete, they need to raise at least $150,000 to cover the costs for all their gear, and they just crossed the $10,000 plateau on their way to that goal. The trio is confident they’ll raise enough funds to compete in the Pyeongchang Winter Games of 2018 through “a little faith, support and willingness to persevere.”
The Nigerian women are hoping to become the coolest competitors at the 2018 Winter Olympics. They have their sights on the bobsled course in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Seun Adigun is literally driving the initiative to get a Nigerian women’s team on track. She represented Nigeria in the 2012 Summer Games.
“I kind of had Olympic fever again and so this was 2014 and the Winter Olympics was on and I knew quite a few track and field athletes who had transitioned into the winter sports so I figured, ‘You know, I think I could try this,’” Adigun said.
But Adigun, who is based in Texas, ran into a big obstacle.
“We don’t have a sled right now. We’re trying to get one,” Adigun said.
Since launching a GoFundMe page last month, the team has raised more than $10,000. In the meantime, Adigun came up with a homemade practice sled called the Mayflower.
“I just went for like two or three days straight, just hammering and drilling and sawing this wooden sled together,” Adigun said.
The story might sound a bit familiar. The tale of the Jamaican bobsled team that overcame long odds to make the 1988 Winter Games was immortalized in the movie “Cool Runnings.”
While Adigun said the movie wasn’t necessarily the inspiration to start a Nigerian bobsled team, the spirit of that Jamaican team is something she hopes to continue.
“These men did something very special. And to be able to have, you know, everyone who’s hearing our story put us on the same line of legacy that these men have created, that’s… that’s really honorable,” Adigun said.
She needs to complete five races on three tracks by next January to qualify for the Olympics. Her two teammates have only practiced on the wooden sled. They haven’t raced on ice yet.
