THE NIGERIAN WOMEN’S bobsled team is celebrating on today after becoming the first from Africa — male or female — to ever qualify for the Winter Olympics.
The Bobsled and Skeleton Federation of Nigeria posted a photograph on its Instagram account of the three-women team high-fiving one another with delight at making it to next year’s games in Pyeongchang, South Korea and said: “Ecstatic to say the least.”
“We are so proud of our Women’s Bobsled team being eligible to qualify for the Winter Olympic Games,” it added after they completed their last qualifying run in Calgary on Thursday.
The qualification of Nigeria — where temperatures are currently upwards of 35 degress Celsius — has inevitably drawn comparisons with Jamaica’s participation in the 1988 Games in Calgary, Canada, which led to the 1993 film ‘Cool Runnings’.
Nigeria’s team — driver Seun Adigun and brakewomen Ngozi Onwumere and Akuoma Omeoga — have done little to play down the comparison.
They crowd-funded the $150,000 (€130,000) required to train and compete and through a mixture of savvy marketing and publicity have developed a strong online profile that has helped attract sponsorship from Visa and sportswear manufacturer Under Armour.
The women, who were all born and grew up in the United States, have a background in athletics. Adigun, competed for Nigeria at the 2012 Olympics.
She told the BBC in April this year: “My goal is to get this team representation for this country (Nigeria) and this continent (Africa) at the Olympic Games.
“We are from a continent that would never imagine sliding down ice at 80 or 90 miles an hour (130-145 kilometres per hour).
“The idea of being able to take to that in itself is empowering.”
Cool runnings, #Naija style: meet the ladies who bobsleigh 🇳🇬❄️💁🏿 pic.twitter.com/4YFIYqScWC
— BBC Africa (@BBCAfrica) April 3, 2017
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Munster could have done with him at times during last season
What’s wrong with the hookers they have?
If he doesn’t want us well then we don’t want him. Good luck to him I hope England works out for him except when he plays us.
More a case of Ireland doesn’t want him so he’s not going to hang around.
Relax lads, he’s 23. It’s not like he has much development left in him anyway. He’d never have gotten into the Irish senior squad.
Ashton was selected but turned down his place.
Our current hookers can’t hit the line out.
Get the wingers to throw in then!