Meet French-Born Nigerian who is Country's sole Athlete at Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics
- Samuel Ikpefan will represent Nigeria in alpine skiing and cross-country events at the Winter Olympics
- The French-born skier opted to represent Nigeria after his dreams of representing France became impossible in 2011
- The 29-year-old had represented France at the youth level but was cleared to don the colours of Nigeria in 2018
Samuel Ikpefan will be Nigeria’s sole representative at the Winter Olympics as he will be competing in the alpine skiing and cross-country event for the first time.
In 2018, Nigeria made headlines when three female athletes namely Seun Adigun, Ngozi Onwumere and Akuoma Omeoga qualified in skeleton and bobsleigh at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
Source: Getty Images
Four years later, Ikpefan will be the first Nigerian athlete to don the green and white colours in the Alpine and Skiing event in Beijing TodayNG reveals.
The French-born athlete who missed out on an opportunity to represent France in 2011 was cleared to represent the West African country in 2018.
Samuel Ikpefun says representing Nigeria is a chance to connect to his fatherland
Samuel Ikpefun has revealed he is very excited to be representing Nigeria at the winger games as it is an opportunity to connect to the land of his father.
According to the official Olympics.com, the 29-year-old whose father is a Nigerian represented France at his youthful age is delighted to compete for Nigeria.
"I am proud to have the chance to represent an African nation at the Olympic Games.
“With the food or the music, I have always been immersed in the Nigerian culture."
Ikpefun only got a taste of top-level competition in January 2021, when he participated in his first World Cup in Falun, Sweden.
Meet Ghana's Sole Representative At The 2022 Winter Olympics
Earlier, Sports Brief reported The winter Olympics will begin early next month in Beijing, with over 100 athletes set to battle it out for laurels in the Chinese capital.
Africa may not have large numbers at the event, but Ghana will be represented by Cape Coast-born Carlos Carlos Mäder.
Carlos Mäder, also known as Kojo Benya Brown, becomes the third Ghanaian to compete at the Winter Olympics after trailblazer Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong and Akwasi Frimpong.
Source: SportsBrief.com