USA/Africa: Winter Olympics, here we come! Three Diasporan Africans will make history at 2018 Games – Tola Adenle

 

US Teenage speed skater, Maamey Biney, strutting her stuff ahead of other US competitors

 

While there will be a few other Africans during the forthcoming Winter Olympics in Seoul who qualified for the games, 17-year old Ghanaian-American, Maame Biney, may, perhaps, be the only possible medal contender but hei, Africa, a continent that lies mostly within the Tropics is gradually getting noticed during the Northern Hemisphere Winter Olympics and is serving notices that her people are capable of great achievements beyond the Summer Games in track and field events. Two of the ice competitors here – Mr. Frimpong and Ms. Adeagbo were noted track/field athletes before discovering in [sports] old age their capabilities to conquer new challenges.

 

Ms. Biney, who is the cream of the African Diasporan 2018 Winter Games crop will race for the USA in short speed skating and may actually get to medal, another Ghanaian, Frimpong and Nigeria’s Sìmidélé Adéagbo will perform in the Skeleton.

By the way, Ghana has always been the small African country that has ALWAYS proved it can; ask oldies about how football (soccer) a club side like Ashanti-Kòtòkò that could drive fears into the fans of the likes of Nigeria’s Stationery Stores  or even the Ghanaian national team, Black Stars versus Nigeria’s Eagles!

Track star, Simidele Adeagbo, proudly Nigerian, attired for the Winter Games

 

 

 

Simi is Africa’s first woman to qualify for the Winter Games in the Skeleton.   A track star while in college at the University of Kentucky, she will join Nigeria’s history-making Winter Games, The Ice Blazers in PyeongChang in two weeks.

Akwasi, Ghanaian-Dutch, is Africa’s first male to qualify for skeleton sports at the Winter Games, and goes to PyeongChang via the USA and Netherlands. He is a track star who has won many medals, including four of each bronze and silver, and eight gold medals in various national and international sport competitions. The athlete, who was raised in Ghana, moved to the Netherlands and attended a Utah [USA] university.

What could spell sporting acknowledgement more than a Nike film feature as Nike just released a short film announcing Ms. Adeagbo’s historic achievement.

NIKE FEATURE ON SIMI

Ms. Adeagbo’s Nike short feature film

Akwasi Frimpong‏ @FrimpongAkwasi

FollowFollow @FrimpongAkwasi

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It’s officialProud to announce that I will be representing Ghana at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Dare to dream! #GhanaSkeleton

2:40 AM – 15 Jan 2018

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175 replies3,287 retweets7,759 likes

Frimpong’s Twitter handle

The common thread running through the athletic stories and successes of these three son and daughters of Africa is the United States of America without which, perhaps, none of them could have reached the heights they have.

Let’s, therefore raise more than three hearty cheers to each of the following:

•  Teenage sensation, Ms. Biney,
• Naija Girl, Ms. Adeagbo and
• Another star from the land of the Black Star, Mr. Frimpong,
• AND, of course, to good old USA for the nurturing environments that have seen these three realize their potentials; & here’s wishing them and the countries they represent all the best at PyeonChang,
• And last, but by no means the least, to Africa, the Motherland, often distant but yet never far from the hearts and minds of those she has gifted to the world.

SOURCES:         Washington Post; YouTube; Twitter.com; Wikipedia.

YOU MAY WISH TO CHECK OUT:The common thread running through the athletic stories and successes of these three son and daughters of Africa is the United States of America without which, perhaps, none of them could have reached the heights they have.

Let’s, therefore raise more than three hearty cheers to each of the following:

•  Teenage sensation, Ms. Biney,
• Naija Girl, Ms. Adeagbo and
• Another star from the land of the Black Star, Mr. Frimpong,
• AND, of course,
• to good old USA for the nurturing environments that have seen these three through, while wishing them and the countries they represent all the best at PyeonChang,
• And last, but by no means the least, to Africa, the Motherland, often distant but yet never far from the hearts and minds of those she has gifted to the world.

SOURCES: The Washington Post, YouTube, Twitter.com, Wikipedia.

For more on Simisade Adeagbo, check out the link below:

https://www.bellanaija.com/2018/01/nigerian-athlete-simidele-adeagbo-becomes-first-african-compete-skeleton-winter-olympics/

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2018. 2:00 P.M, [GMT]