Nigerian Women’s Bobsled Team Makes History Qualifying For The 2018 Winter Olympics

There is no denying that the Winter Olympics are usually dominated by countries with colder climates.

It makes a lot of sense considering winter sports rely on things like snow and ice to even exist. After all, you can’t downhill ski without snow or ice skate without ice.

That’s why nations like Germany, Russia, Norway, and the United States have the largest collection of Winter Olympic medals, according to TheRichest.com.

Colder places might have the advantage, but that doesn’t mean that athletes from countries with warmer weather don’t try to join in on the fun.

This week, the Nigerian women’s bobsled team made history in November 2017 by qualifying for the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea taking place in February. The team is the first bobsled team from Africa to ever qualify.

The story may sound similar to the plot of Disney movie Cool Runnings, about the formation of Jamaica’s first bobsled team, only this time, it’s the real deal.

The three member team includes driver, Seun Adigun, and brakemen, Ngozi Onwumere and Akuoma Omega.

The team only began training in 2016, which makes their accomplishment all the more impressive. Most Olympic athletes train for years or even their entire lives.

The team competed in a series of qualifying races in Utah, Whistler, and Calgary over the past few weeks.

It won’t be bobsled driver Seun Adigun’s first Olympic appearance. She competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics in the 100-meter hurdles.

Of course, it will however be her first time competing in the winter.

Her track and field background will come in handy for this sport that is both “technical and high risk.”

The power for the bobsled run all comes from the team pushing the sled off during the very beginning of the race.

The team was able to raise enough money to make this incredible achievement thanks to a GoFundMe account where they $75,000 in just over a year.

People were happy to donate to help the women and Nigeria reach this milestone.

Needless to say, Nigeria isn’t exactly a hotbed for winter sports or bobsledding.

Located just north of the equator, the climate is considered to be very tropical.

The only precipitation Nigeria sees is not of the frozen variety, but rather monsoon during the rainy season from June to September, according to ClimatestoTravel.com.

Since Nigeria isn’t a natural fit to support bobsledding, the team needed to start from scratch.

With the help of donors, they were able to get all of the gear and associated expenses for things like ice time, and especially transportation and shipping costs.