One of Nigeria’s representatives at the 2018 Winter Olympics, Simidele Adeagbo might find it difficult making a podium finish following her results in the Women Official Training Heats.
Nigeria is participating in its first Winter Olympics in the bobsleigh and skeleton event. The bobsleigh team is made up of athletes Seun Adigun, Akuoma Omeoga and Ngozi Onwumere and Nigeria’s history-making skeleton athlete Simidele Adeagbo are the first to compete for the country at the Winter Olympics.
Adeagbo, who is the African woman to compete in the head-first sliding sport at the Olympics, produced the slowest times in all six runs held between Monday and Wednesday at the Olympic Sliding Centre in PyeongChang.
Adeagbo said “These past days have brought a different experience for me. Every time I step on the track I learn something new and every day, I take something different now is time to go into the race and put together the best race as I can”.
“Nigeria should expect Simi to give her all, my mind, body and soul to this race to do my best and represent the country. I have been doing well throughout my training and I’ll do all I can to give my very best when I get on the track.”
On Monday, Adeagbo churned out 55.17 and 56.07 seconds in Heat 1 and 2 respectively. Both times landed her in 19th position out of the same number of competitors since South Korea’s Sophia Jeong did not start (DNS). The next day saw her finish 20th with 55.56 and 56.60 seconds in Heat 3 and 4 respectively. Then she maintained the same position on Wednesday as well, clocking 55.85 and 56.05 seconds in Heat 5 and 6.
The above times may not win Adeagbo a medal in PyeongChang 2018, but they are signs of tremendous progress in her historic skeleton journey because only last month she completed her 5th and 6th races of the season in Lake Placid in 58.11 and 59.88 seconds respectively. Though those times gave her bronze medals at the North American Cup, they have no place in the Olympics.
The 36 year old knows what to do if she intends to finish well at her first Winter Olympics.
“One of the basic thing to do on the slide is to relax, you going as fast as 80 miles/ hour sometimes you are tensed and that’s what happened to me today. I need to go back, relax and enjoy, have fun and go faster.” She told AIPS Media
The main event for Women’s Skeleton at PyeongChang 2018 will last for two days, Friday and Saturday and there are four Heats. The competitor with the quickest time combined after the four runs wins gold.
