Seun Adigun, Ngozi Onwumere and Akuoma Omeoga want to make history at the 2018 Winter Olympics by representing Nigeria in the bobsled competition. The three women, who are based in Texas, not only are attempting to qualify but are also starting a bobsled federation in Africa.
In an interview with Okay Africa, the three women discussed exactly how they got into bobsledding.
"I actually started doing a little bit more research and learned that Nigeria did not have, in history, a sports team that represent bobsled," Adigun said. "So I was like, ‘Wow, that would be something that’d be very positive and very good for the country itself.’”
Since the trio are all based in Houston, practicing on ice isn't something that happens, so they have improvised.
"Since we can’t get practice time on ice, what we do is we just focus on strengthening. So weightlifting and sprinting—since we all have that background—is something we already know how to do, but it’s just another repetition; just getting it in when you can. Strength is the most important thing for this sport, so that’s what the focus has been thus far, and also we have a pushcart as well that Seun actually initially created, which was a beast," Omeoga said.
The women aren't focusing just on the bobsled, they also have workloads as students at the University of Houston. Adigun is studying for a doctorate in chiropractic and a master’s in fitness and human performance at the University of Houston; Onwumere is also pursuing a doctorate at the university, and Omeoga holds a full-time job as a health care recruiter.
Currently, the women are attempting to raise $150,000 via a GoFundMe campaign to support their purchase of equipment and travel.
Read their full interview at Okay Africa.