By Our Reporter
NIGERIAN bobsled pilot, Seun
Adigun continues to break new boundaries and set standards after leading three
other team members to represent the African country at the recently held
Winter, Olympics in Pyeongchang County, South Korea.
Adigun who also recently
bagged a doctorate degree in Chiropractic has now been officially recognized as
the first African, both in the male or female categories to compete in both the
winter and summer Olympics.
Ayako Ito of the
International Olympic Committee (IOC), in a message noted that The Olympic
Study Centre has confirmed that Seun Adigun is the first ever African athlete
to compete in both Summer and Winter Olympic Games.
It would be noted the
African star athlete and bobsled driver is among the only two athletes to be so
recognized at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. The second being of Pita
Taufatofua of Tonga, a taekwondoist turned skier. Adigun and Taufatofua now
join a list of elite Summer and Winter Olympians catalogued by online reference
site, Wikipedia.
Adigun who represented
Nigeria in Athletics at the Summer Olympics and Nigeria in Bobsleigh in 2018 at
the Winter Olympics expressed her delight at being bestowed with such a
prestigious accolade.
With a strong support system
of her management team, Lagos-based pan-African agency, Temple Management
Company, she restates her commitment to African excellence. She said, “This is
a real-life example of what it means to represent African excellence and a true
testament to the fact that impossible is nothing. This milestone is truly a
blessing”.
Discussing her preparations
for the 2012 Summer Games, Adigun remarked, “My preparations during athletics
was driven by the desire to prove to myself that I was capable of competing
with the best in the world in the women's 100 meter hurdles. I wanted to look
back on my career as a hurdler and know that despite any limitations or health
obstacles, I genuinely gave all that I had to achieving the highest level of
competition”.
Adigun further disclosed how
she prepared for the winter Games, “The preparations for the winter Games was
different in the sense that my passion was driven by my self-less intentions to
create positive represenntation for Nigerians and Africans, globally. That
passion was accompanied by several thoughts of fear and anxiety, but it was
overcome by God's grace and the support of everyone who played a part in the
journey, no matter how big or small”.
Adigun added that she
dedicated herself to creating a legacy that would inspire generations,
eternally, and whatever accolades came along the way would be celebrated as
blessings.
ABOUT
ICE BLAZERS
Seun Adigun is a former
sprint hurdler for Nigeria, competing at the London 2012 Olympic Games. She
retired from track after her last Olympic Games to focus on her studies.
While studying, Seun found
the urge to get back into sports but took a completely different turn to
sprinting on track, by attempting to become the first ever African to compete
on the women's Bobsled circuit.
As the driver, Seun
recruited Akuoma Omeoga and Ngozi Onwumere as her break(wo)men for the “ICE
BLAZERS,” also known as the Nigeria Bobsled Team.
Seun is pursuing a Doctorate
of Chiropractic from Texas Chiropractic College while completing a Master’s in
Fitness and Human Performance at the University of Houston Clear Lake. Ngozi is
also pursuing a Doctorate of Chiropractic at Texas Chiropractic College and
Akuoma is a Healthcare Recruiter.
All three ladies have
managed to balance their busy superwoman schedules with training and
preparation, including practicing at the National Stadium (Lagos, Nigeria) with
a bobsled they had built out of wood.
The focus for the team is
making Nigeria and the continent of Africa proud by competing at the Winter
Olympic Games, South Korea 2018.
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