Ghana’s Akwasi Frimpong takes half in a coaching session for the boys’s skeleton occasion within the 2018 Olympics.
Kirill KudryavtsevAFP/through Getty Pictures
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Kirill KudryavtsevAFP/through Getty Pictures
For these not acquainted with the game of skeleton, the place the solo sledder lies flat on their abdomen, head first, Akwasi Frimpong sums it up: “You are on a cookie sheet sled and it is like ‘dude, good luck.'”
Skeleton was truly the third sport Frimpong took as much as chase his dream of changing into an Olympian.
Born in Ghana, Frimpong moved to the Netherlands when he was 8 as an undocumented immigrant. He ultimately received Dutch citizenship. He additionally took up monitor within the Netherlands, and later bobsled, then skeleton. In 2018, he grew to become the primary male Black African skeleton racer to compete within the Olympics. (That very same 12 months, Simidele Adeagbo grew to become the primary feminine Black African skeleton athlete within the Olympics, competing on Nigeria’s workforce.)
NPR spoke with Frimpong concerning the challenges of being an African athlete in a predominantly white sport, his basis known as Hope of a Billion and why not qualifying for the Olympics this 12 months might have saved his life.
Akwasi Frimpong of Ghana moved from sprinting to bobsledding to skeleton. reacts within the end space in the course of the Males’s Skeleton heats at Olympic Sliding Centre on February 16, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea. (
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Richard Heathcote/Getty Pictures
This interview has been edited for size and readability.
On being a bobsled braker: “The man who makes positive that on the finish, he breaks — so no one dies”
Are you able to inform me a bit about your journey into skeleton? How does somebody from Ghana get into this sport?
Once I was 15, I used to be recruited in monitor and subject by a coach who was a two-time summer time Olympian. He actually believed that in the future I might develop into an Olympian (in sprinting). And since he believed in me, I began believing in myself and labored arduous towards that dream of going to the Summer season Olympics.
I received so far as being a part of the Netherlands pre-Olympic 4×100 meter relay workforce for the 2012 London Olympic Video games, however because of a tendon harm, I wasn’t capable of make it to the ultimate workforce.
After that, I used to be recruited by the Netherlands bobsled workforce due to my pace as a sprinter, to develop into a brakeman — the man who makes positive that on the finish he breaks so no one dies. I used to be the second alternate for the 2014 Sochi Olympic Video games, which means I needed to wait at house to listen to if somebody received injured. Fortunately, nobody did, which additionally meant that for the second time my dream did not come true.
That should’ve been disappointing. What did you do subsequent?
I completed college. However I could not discover a job straight away, so I went promoting Kirby vacuums door to door. After a few years, I bear in mind in the summertime of 2015, my spouse checked out me and stated “one thing’s bugging you” and I used to be like, “I’ve that one factor on my bucket listing nonetheless, in addition to being married to you — you shouldn’t overlook to inform your spouse that.” And he or she stated “Akwasi, I do not need you to be 99 years outdated and nonetheless whining about your Olympic dream.”
I used to be recruited then to attempt skeleton, going head first. At first I used to be like “Hell no, no please.” Bobsled was already loopy. Lengthy story quick, I gave skeleton a shot. At first it was like “Oh my gosh, that is scary.” However as I made it down, I wished to return to the highest and do it once more.
Why did you resolve to compete for Ghana as a substitute of the Netherlands?
My “why” needed to be greater than myself. I might compete for the Netherlands, the place I’d get extra sources, extra help, however I made a decision to compete for Ghana to do one thing that hadn’t been accomplished earlier than, actually train individuals to return out of their consolation zone.
I wished to characterize the individuals of my nation, 30 million individuals, ship a message again house of what’s attainable while you work arduous, imagine in your self and by no means surrender.
Did that call have an effect on how straightforward it was to coach?
We do not have our personal skeleton monitor in Ghana, and I haven’t got as quick access to Western tracks as a Ghanaian athlete. There are solely 17 tracks (for bobsled and skeleton) on the planet, so there was lots of touring concerned. I skilled in Utah but additionally traveled to Lake Placid, Canada, Europe and Asia to get some further coaching in.
On what it takes to do skeleton: “Concern is a giant a part of it, it’s a must to discover ways to embrace it.”
How do you prepare for skeleton? I think about it is completely different from monitor and even bobsled?
Being a quick sprinter helps, (due to the working begin) and I did lots of dash coaching. However there’s nonetheless a lot talent and method it’s a must to be taught, even for the push off. After that, you are on a cookie sheet sled and it is like “dude, good luck.”
Concern is a giant a part of it, it’s a must to discover ways to embrace it.
What was it like coming right into a sport dominated by wealthier, whiter international locations?
At first, individuals undoubtedly have a look at you a bit of bit completely different — huge eyeballs, and are like “oh my gosh, the place are you from, what are you doing right here?”
The athletes actually like you a large number while you come as a result of they’re like “oh there is a child from Africa that I can beat” till you begin beating them. Then the dynamic modifications a bit. Nevertheless it’s an ideal neighborhood, for positive.
You ended up qualifying and competing within the 2018 video games. What was that like?
A dream come true. To be the primary Black male from Africa to compete in skeleton, representing 1.4 billion individuals, that itself was value gold.
I used to be additionally actually proud to wave the flag of my nation and ship a message again house to all the children strolling barefoot or people who suppose that they do not have something occurring for themselves, to hopefully encourage them and empower them.
The reception was unbelievable from everywhere in the world, not simply from Africa. We acquired messages about individuals eager to attempt the game, from Mexico, Malaysia, NIgeria, Togo, Ivory Coast.
You stored on racing even after the video games. What motivated you?
I by no means wished to be the African athlete who simply made headlines, I wished to be aggressive. After 2018, I knew I might get higher however wanted the sources and help to get higher. Financing has been a troublesome factor to do, discover new sponsors, new companions. You might have a household, a mortgage, it will get costly.
However I’ve develop into profitable within the sport. That does not imply you are all the time going to make the Olympic Video games, however I’ve competed in 5 World Championships, grew to become the primary African to win an elite skeleton race in Park Metropolis, Utah.
You ended up not qualifying for the 2026 video games. What occurred?
I really feel like I did rather well by way of execution and sliding, however sadly it wasn’t adequate to make it. A part of it was an tools problem, however the sport can also be simply getting extra aggressive.
Quick ahead just a few weeks later, and (I) realized it was perhaps for a great motive. I simply had surgical procedure final week for a ruptured appendix. The ache began on February 6, (the day of) the opening ceremony. If I would have been in Italy, I in all probability would’ve ignored the ache and will not have been right here to speak proper now.
On being an altruist: “When you possibly can assist a child discover your ardour, they transfer otherwise on the planet.”
What’s subsequent?
My spouse and I’ve a basis, known as the Hope of a Billion basis. We go world wide and train children about resilience and domesticate their inherent energy to go after their objectives and desires. We go into the colleges and we train them about ideas that I realized to go after my objectives and desires. You already know, imagine in your self, work arduous, by no means surrender.
It is about actually, actually serving to these children showcase that they’ve one thing particular inside them and assist them discover their ardour. When you possibly can assist a child discover your ardour, they transfer otherwise on the planet. They present up otherwise at college. They get up a bit of bit earlier. They do issues completely completely different.
Are you hanging up the sled now?
I turned 40 a pair days in the past, this was my final hurrah. Possibly I am going to seize my sled from time to time for enjoyable, however I am at peace with it. Now I hope to mentor, to teach, to assist others in underrepresented nations within the sport. I am not accomplished being concerned in inspiring.
