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10 African Winter Olympians Who Bucked The Odds

10 African Winter Olympians Who Bucked The Odds

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It’s fairly unusual to see African athletes participating in the Winter Olympics, and the reason is obvious: no snow. But some athletes managed to buck the odds and compete on the international stage in a variety of sports, representing just a handful of nations throughout the years. With the Sochi Games now over, here is a look back at 10 African winter Olympians.

Sources: GoAfrica.About.com, AfricaOnTheBlog.com, Sports.Yahoo.com, ABCNews.go.com, Wikipedia.org

Faz.net
Faz.net

Isaac Menyoli, Cameroon (2002)

Cross-country skier Isaac Menyoli was the first Cameroonian to enter the Winter Olympics when he appeared in the 2002 games in Salt Lake City. Though he did not place high in his two events, the classical 15 km and the 1.5 km sprint, he attracted much media attention in his effort to speak to a global audience about the AIDS epidemic in Cameroon.

News.BBC.co.uk
News.BBC.co.uk

Robel Teklemariam, Ethiopia (2006)

Teklemariam competed in the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics in cross-country skiing, finishing 83rd in the classical 15 km event. Though he has lived in the United States for much of his life, he heads up the Ethiopian National Skiing Federation and wants to help inspire other winter athletes in Ethiopia to pursue their dreams.

LexpressionDZ.com
LexpressionDZ.com

Mehdi Selim Khelifi, Algeria (2010)

Appearing in the 2010 games in Vancouver, Khelifi competed in the 15 km cross-country skiing event at the age of 17. He was the sole athlete representing Algeria, and finished 84th in his event. Unfortunately, he did not qualify for the 2014 Sochi games, but continues to train and practice.

TotalProSports.com
TotalProSports.com

Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, Ghana (2010)

Representing Ghana in its Winter Olympics debut in the 2010 Vancouver games, Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong competed in the alpine skiing event. Nkrumah-Acheampong was nicknamed “Snow Leopard” for his leopard-spotted ski race suit. He was not sponsored by the Ghana Olympic Committee. IUnstead, individual fans helped to sponsor him in return for their names on his suit.

MentalFloss.com
MentalFloss.com

Leyti Seck, Senegal (2006, 2010)

Alpine skier Leyti Seck represented Senegal in the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics in Turn and Vancouver, respectively, and finished 55th in the Super-G event. Seck has dual citizenship in Senegal and Austria, which may have proved useful for training purposes.

TheNewAfrica.info
TheNewAfrica.info

Mathilde-Amivi Petitjean, Togo (2014)

In Togo’s first appearance at the Winter Olympics, Mathilde-Amivi Petitjean competed in the women’s 10 km classical cross-country skiing race at the 2014 Sochi games. She finished in 68th place, just 10 minutes behind the winner (Justyna Kowalczyk from Poland), and hopes that her performance helps to inspire other African athletes.

AzizDaouda.Blogspot.com
AzizDaouda.Blogspot.com

Adam Lamhamedi, Morocco (2014)

Adam Lamhamedi became the first African to win an Olympic medal when he finished first in the Super-G alpine skiing competition at the Winter Youth Olympics, and hoped to do the same this year in Sochi. He also has dual citizenship with Canada and Morocco, and decided to compete for Morocco despite being born and largely raised in Canada.

Le360.ma
Le360.ma

Kenza Tazi, Morocco (2014)

Also competing for Morocco in the 2014 Sochi games, Kenza Tazi is an alpine skier who participated in the slalom and giant slalom events. She was actually born in Boston but has spent much of her life growing up in France, where she trained extensively. She is 18.

En.StarAfrica.com
En.StarAfrica.com

Alessia Afi Dipol, Togo (2014)

The other Tongolese athlete at this year’s games, alpine skier Alessia Afi Dipol competed in the slalom and giant slalom events. Between 2012 and 2013, Dipol actually competed for India, but decided to represent Togo after becoming a naturalized citizen so she would qualify.

SportsIllustrated.CNN.com
SportsIllustrated.CNN.com

Luke Steyn, Zimbabwe (2014)

Alpine skier Luke Steyn is Zimbabwe’s first entrant to the Winter Olympics, and competed in the slalom and giant slalom events. He was born in Zimbabwe but moved to Switzerland at a young age, where he began skiing. He has been living and training in the U.S.