Simidele Adeagbo
{{short description|Nigerian skeleton racer}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Simidele Adeagbo
| honorific_suffix = OLY
| birth_name = Simidele Adeife Omonla Adeagbo
| nationality = {{ubl|{{flagcountry|Canada}}|{{flagcountry|Nigeria}}}}
| residence = Johannesburg, South Africa
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1981|07|29}}
| birth_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| height = {{height|m=1.70}}
| weight = {{convert|65|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
| country = {{ubl|{{flagcountry|Nigeria}}|{{flagcountry|USA}}}}
| sport = {{ubl|Track & Field|Skeleton}}
| event = {{Ubl|Triple Jump|Skeleton}}
| universityteam = University of Kentucky
| coach = Nick Vienneau
| worlds =
| regionals = 2022 Woman's Monobob World Series; UK Scholar Athlete of the Year, 2003 Indoor Southeastern Triple Jump Champion
| nationals = Olympic Trials Finalist 2004 & 2008 (Triple Jump), 4 Time NCAA all American in
the Triple Jump and Academic All-American,
| olympics = 20th (Pyeongchang 2018)
| highestranking = 74
| pb = Track and Field (Triple Jump) 13.99m (June 27 th , 2008)
| updated =
}}
Simidele Adeife Omonla Adeagbo, {{postnominals|country=CAN|OLY}}[https://olympians.org/olympians/olympians-for-life/ Olympians: Olympians for Life] – website of the WOA (born July 29, 1981, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada){{cite web |title= Sleigh, Simidele Adeagbo, Sleigh |url= https://news.nike.com/news/simidele-adeagbo-african-skeleton-athlete |date= 9 January 2018 |publisher= Nike }} is a Nigerian skeleton racer who competed at the 2018 Winter Olympics. She is Nigeria and Africa's first female skeleton athlete. She was the first black female Olympian in the sport. In 2022, she won the woman's mono bob event in the 2022 EuroCup, held in Germany. In so doing, she became the first athlete from Africa to win an international sled race.{{Cite web|date=2022-01-17|title=Nigeria's Adeabgo becomes first African to win international sled race|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/33084101/nigeria-simi-adeabgo-becomes-first-african-win-international-sled-race|access-date=2022-02-05|website=ESPN.com|language=en}} Before competing in skeleton, Adeagbo competed in triple jump, last competing in 2008.
Early life
Adeagbo was born in Toronto, in Ontario, Canada, to Nigerian parents. She moved to Ibadan, Nigeria when she was an infant, and lived there for six years before moving to the United States.{{cite web |title=Nigerian bobsledder aims for Africa's first Winter Games medal |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/africa/64540319 |website=BBC Sport |access-date=14 February 2023 |date=13 February 2023}}
Career
Adeagbo served as a Nike body double for Serena Williams. Adeagbo is a marketing manager for Nike in South Africa since 2012.
On August 18, 2018, Adeagbo spoke alongside other noteworthy speakers, to a sold-out audience during the TEDxLagos spotlight event at the Muson Centre.{{cite web |title=Olasupo Sasore, Bankole Wellington, Simi Adeagbo, others deliver inspiring talks at event co-sponsored by Union Bank |url=https://www.pulse.ng/gist/metro/tedxlagos-bankole-wellington-others-deliver-inspiring-talks-id8767308.html |website=Pulse |accessdate=17 September 2018}} She shared the stage with legal practitioner Supo Shasore, Award-winning technologist Ade Olufeko, Art curator Tokini Peterside and media personality Banky W. amongst others.{{cite web |last1=Ukiwe |first1=Urenna |title=TEDXLagos Exciting "Spotlight" Set To Hold |date=16 August 2018 |url=https://guardian.ng/life/tedxlagos-exciting-spotlight-set-to-hold/ |publisher=The Guardian (Nigeria) |accessdate=17 September 2018}}
Sports career
Adeagbo started Track and Field competition in highschool. She retired from Track and Field competition in June 2008. At that time, she failed to qualify for the Olympics by 8-inches. She had become a 4-time NCAA All-American, and was the triple jump record holder for the University of Kentucky.
Adeagbo became interested in skeleton in December 2016, when she heard about the Nigeria bobsled team attempting to qualify for the Olympics. She first tried to qualify for that team at tryouts in July 2017, where she had to try in a skeleton sled instead of a bobsled. She started skeleton in September 2017. She became sponsored by her employer, Nike, for skeleton.
Adeagbo competed at her first Olympics at the 2018 Winter Olympics in skeleton, as part of the Nigerian team, becoming the first Nigerian to compete at the Winter Olympics. She was the Nigerian flagbearer at the 2018 Winter Olympics closing ceremony.{{cite news |url= http://www.pulse.ng/sports/other_sports/nigeria-s-bobsled-and-skeleton-women-closing-ceremony-id8039213.html |title= Nigeria's bobsled and Skeleton women were looking glam at closing ceremony |author= Steve Dede |date= 26 February 2018 |publisher= Pulse Nigeria }}
Personal bests
=Track and field=
| class="wikitable" | |||
| Event | Result | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| colspan="4"|Outdoor | |||
| 100 meters | 12.05 (wind: +1.7) | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | 13 May 2000 |
| 100 meters | 11.96 (wind: +3.1) | Coral Gables, Florida | 17 Mar 2001 |
| Long jump | 6.20 m A (wind: +0.9 m/s) | Eugene, Oregon | 19 Jun 2004 |
| Long jump | 6.36 m A (wind: +4.9 m/s) | Austin, Texas | 06 Apr 2001 |
| Triple jump | 13.99 m A (wind: +2.0 m/s) | Eugene, OR | 27 Jun 2008 |
| colspan="4"|Indoor | |||
| 60 meters | 7.59 | Lexington | 13 Jan 2001 |
| Long jump | 6.25 m | Nampa, Idaho | 28 Jan 2005 |
| Triple jump | 13.40 m | Seattle | 28 Jan 2006 |
=Skeleton=
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{official website|http://www.simisleighs.com}}
- {{IAAF}}
- {{IBSF}}
- Nigerian Bobsled and Skeleton Federation: https://bsfnigeria.com
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adeagbo, Simidele}}
Category:Skeleton racers at the 2018 Winter Olympics
Category:Olympic skeleton racers for Nigeria
Category:Nigerian female skeleton racers
Category:Nigerian female triple jumpers
Category:Canadian sportspeople of Nigerian descent
Category:American sportspeople of Nigerian descent
Category:American female triple jumpers
Category:University of Kentucky alumni
Category:Kentucky Wildcats women's track and field athletes