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Nigerian cyclist borrows bicycle from German team to compete at 2024 Olympics
Nigerian cyclist, Ese Ukpeseraye borrowed a bicycle from her German colleagues to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Ukpeseraye, representing Team Nigeria, found herself in a difficult situation when she had no bicycle to race with in the keirin and sprint events due to the short notice of her participation.
She competed in the women’s road race on August 4 but did not register a score after failing to complete the event.
The cyclist revealed her challenge in a tweet on her X account on Thursday.
On Wednesday, the 25-year-old raced in the Keirin and Sprint cycling events, finishing sixth in the first round. Later in the day, she also failed to secure qualification through the repechage.
Speaking on her experience during the race, Ukpeseraye said she was called up to participate in the second event on “short notice.”.
The cyclist said she had “no bicycle to race with on the tracks,” and the German team came to her rescue.
“Due to the short notice, I had to compete at the Keirin & Sprint. I had no bicycle to race with on the tracks,” the tweet reads.
#Paris2024@Paris2024
Due to the short notice of me competing at the keirin & Sprint, #teamNigeria I had no bicycle to race with on the tracks. In d spirit of sportsmanship the German team @bunddeutscherradfahr came to my rescue by offering me a bicycle.
Thank youhttps://t.co/OZf8tPZ3gS pic.twitter.com/AyrtQqrCe7
— Ese lovina Ukpeseraye (@Ese_Ukpeseraye) August 8, 2024
“In the spirit of sportsmanship, the German team came to my rescue by offering me a bicycle.”
Ukpeseraye is also scheduled to participate in one more event on Friday.
This gesture of goodwill from the German team exemplifies the nature of the Olympic spirit, where athletes from different nations come together to support one another, regardless of their competitive rivalries.
Meanwhile, it was earlier reported that Nigeria’s D’Tigress lost 74-88 to the United States of America in the quarterfinals, bringing to an end a spirited run that saw the team break several records.
The defeat ends Nigeria’s participation in the women’s Olympic basketball event at the ongoing Paris Olympics.
Rena’s Wakama’s side put up a fight in the final quarter to win 26-12, but it was not enough as a better USA side held on to their lead to book a semi-final spot.
Nigeria lost the first three quarters 17-26, 16-26, and 15-24, respectively.
During their participation, they got their first ever win at the Olympics and became the first African side to qualify for the quarterfinals of an Olympics basketball competition.
