Simidele Adeagbo Becomes First Nigerian and African Athlete to Win Gold in an International Bobsled Race

Simidele Adeagbo Becomes First Nigerian and African Athlete to Win Gold in an International Bobsled Race

Nigeria and Africa’s first female skeleton athlete, Simidele Adeagbo has added to her list of groundbreaking achievements.

The Nigerian-Canadian skeleton racer who is also recognized as the first black female Olympian in the sport has won the Europe Cup mono bob race at the 2021/22 Bobsled World Cup.

Bobsleigh or bobsled is a team winter sport that involves making timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sleigh.

Simidele Adeagbo is now recognised as the first Nigerian and African athlete to take home the gold in an International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) race.

 The race started on November 20, 2021, in Innsbruck-Igls, Austria, and ended on January 16, 2022, in St. Moritz, Switzerland. 

At the final which was held in Winterberg, Germany, Simidele recorded a time of 2:01 to emerge champions ahead of Romania’s Popescu Georgeta and Ukraine’s Hunko Lidiia.

To celebrate her victory, she shared on Instagram:

“Few make history. Fewer change it.”

“Before Friday, January 14th, 2022, no African athlete (male or female) had ever reached the top of the podium of an international bobsled or skeleton race. That all changed when I won the Europe Cup mono bob race in Winterberg, Germany and became the FIRST Nigerian and African athlete to take home the gold in an @ibsfsliding race.”

Simi’s past accolades include being the UK Scholar-Athlete of the Year, 2003 Indoor Southeastern Triple Jump Champion. In  2018, she became Africa and Nigeria’s first female skeleton athlete. She also is the first black female Olympian in the sport.

Congratulations Simidele Adeagbo.