To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

​Nigerian Women’s Bobsled Team Qualify For Winter Olympics

​Nigerian Women’s Bobsled Team Qualify For Winter Olympics

The Nigerian women’s bobsled team have qualified for next year’s Winter Olympics in South Korea. Stop us if you’ve heard this before.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

Remember when everyone was raving about the remake of Ghostbusters with a female cast a few years back?

Well, get ready for another classic to be re-imagined. The Nigerian women's bobsledding team have set the minds of every film company hack racing towards Cool Runnings 2 by qualifying for next year's Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

The similarities to the fictional story of the Jamaican team qualifying are remarkable.

An ex-sprinter (driver Seun Adigun - who competed in the 100m Hurdles at the London 2012 Olympics) and her two mates (brake operators Ngozi Onwumere and Akuoma Omeoga) upset the odds to become the first people ever to represent their country at the Winter Olympics.

Needless to say, they were pretty happy with themselves and their efforts. Adigun said it was "a huge milestone for sports in Nigeria".

"I was inspired to start the Nigerian Women's Bobsled team in hopes of being the first ever African representative, men or women, to qualify for the Winter Olympic Games in the sport of Bobsled," she said.

"Our objective now is to be the best representation of Africa that the Winter Olympics have ever witnessed."

Given that no African country has ever competed in the Bobsled, they can be pretty sure that they'll be the best ever at that.

It's not been an easy journey for them. They had to raise $75K (£57K) online to pay for their sled, equipment, and expenses.

The qualification campaign involved five races across North America, finishing in Calgary on Wednesday.

Solomon Ogba, president of the newly-formed Bobsled and Skeleton Federation of Nigeria (yes, that's a real thing), was understandably made up for the girls. He said: "I commend the personal dedication and commitment of these women.

"Their hard work was inspiring and I hope Nigerians can appreciate what it took for them to achieve this - the work, the discipline, and the personal sacrifices. They were amazing throughout this journey.

"They are all very successful people in their own right - in sports and out of it, and somehow they are still motivated and still push for more success.

"I have watched them train and work hard to represent Nigeria at the Winter Olympics in a very technical and high-risk sport and they have achieved that. They should be very proud, and I am very proud of them."

The good news might not be over yet, as Simidele Adeagbo is three races away from sliding into next year's Winter Olympic skeleton competition for the nation as well.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: SPORT, Winter Olympics