This might not be the best of times for Nigeria’s bobsled team at this year’s winter Olympic in Pyeongchang, South Korea. They had the last position in the first two heats of their event today.
The team of Seun Adigun and Akuoma Omeoga were 19th in the heats, held 50 minutes apart. Canada came first in the two heats, followed by the United States and Germany.
The Canadians, made up of Kaillie Humphries and Phylicia George returned a time of 51.11sec in the first heat and 51.26 in the second.
The Nigerian team got to the finishing line at 54.18 in the first heat and 53.49 in the second, marking a slight improvement
The Jamaican team of Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian and Carrie Russell tied with team Britain in the first heat, with a time of 51.76. They came 9th in the second heat, with a time of 51.71.
The official training heats 3 and 4 will be staged tomorrow.
Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport invented by the Swiss in the late 1860s in which teams make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled.
Nigeria is being represented for the first time by the trio of Seun Adigun, 31 years old, Akuoma Omeoga, 26 years old and Ngozi Onwumere, who did not feature today.
The celebrated trio, consisting of Driver Seun Adigun and brakewomen Ngozi Onwumere and Akuoma Omeoga will head to the Olymics after qualifying last year. They’ll be the first Africans to compete in the sport during the Olympics. Upon qualifying, Adigun had this to say:
“This is a huge milestone for sports in Nigeria. Nothing makes me prouder than to know that I can play a small role in creating opportunities for winter sports to take place in Nigeria.”
“Our objective now is to be the best representation of Africa that the Winter Olympics have ever witnessed.”
“Our objective now is to be the best representation of Africa that the Winter Olympics have ever witnessed.”