Nigerian Skeleton team begins training, to compete February 16

The Nigerian skeleton athlete at the on-going 2018 Winter Olympics made her first official training yesterday in Pyeongchang, South Korea, amidst complaints by athletes and officials from the various countries about the biting cold weather in the region.

Although, Simidele Adeagbo, who is Nigeria’s sole representative in the skeleton event, had been training on her own, yesterday was the day assigned to her by the Games organisers as first official training. She will also train today and tomorrow in readiness for her event on February 16 and 17.

A board member of the Nigerian Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, Chisom Mbonu-Ezeoke told The Guardian in a telephone chat from Pyeongchang yesterday that the girls are confident of doing the nation proud despite this being their first appearance at the Winter Olympics.

Mbonu-Ezeoke revealed that Nigeria’s two-woman bobsled team would have their first official training on February 17, with a repeat on 18 and 19. The bobsled team will go for battle on February 20 and 21.

The bobsled team will compete in the two-woman event, with Seun Adigun as the Driver, and Akuoma Omeoga as Brake-man. Ngozi Onwumere is Nigeria’s torchbearer at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

With a predicted windchill temperature of -25C in the city of Pyeongchang, athletes and officials from the various participating countries are complaining of serious cold weather condition.

“This is the coldest Winter Olympics ever,” Chisom Mbonu-Ezeoke told The Guardian yesterday. “Everybody, including those who had been participating in the Games, is feeling the impact of the cold weather here. We only manage to go out at times, but I must confess to you that the cold weather here is something else.”

According to the Korean Meteorological Administration, the cold weather in Pyeongchang is “on par” with average February temperatures in previous years of around 0C with temperatures at night getting down to around -10C.

To date, the 1994 edition in Lillehammer, Norway, was the coldest Games on record with a low of -11C.

At nearly half a mile above sea level, Pyeongchang is regarded as one of the coldest regions of South Korea, and is Earth’s coldest location for its latitude.