PARIS:
Nigeria’s first Olympic cyclist, Ese Ukpeseraye, has expressed her gratitude to the German team for providing her with a bike to compete in the Paris 2024 Olympics after she struggled to obtain one herself.
Ukpeseraye, initially registered for the women’s road race, unexpectedly participated in two track events, which require a different type of bicycle. Speaking on social media platform X, the 25-year-old explained that she received the bike at “short notice” from the German team in a show of sportsmanship.
Her post sparked a wave of criticism online, with many Nigerians questioning the competence of their national sports authorities. However, Nigeria’s sports minister, John Owan Enoh, defended the situation as unavoidable.
Enoh explained that the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the global governing body for cycling, offered Nigeria last-minute slots in two women’s track events “due to the disqualification of a country.” The offer was extended after Ukpeseraye and the rest of Team Nigeria had already arrived in Paris.
“For this track race reallocated to Team Nigeria, a very special equipment (approved specifically for the Olympic track game) is used,” Enoh posted on X. “It’ll take months to have it delivered after ordering and making payment.”
Despite the explanation, scepticism persisted online. Some users drew comparisons to another incident involving Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili, who missed her 100m race after her name was left off the entry list. “Does that also take months to import?” one X user wrote.
Others questioned Nigeria’s medal drought at the games, a concern echoed by the Nigerian government, which acknowledged “the disappointing performances of Nigerian athletes” in a recent press release.
Ukpeseraye made history as the first Nigerian, male or female, to compete in an Olympic cycling event. Her first event, the women’s road race, saw her among several athletes who did not complete the 154km (96-mile) course. “It was an honour to represent Nigeria at this level. Although I couldn’t finish the race, being here is a victory in itself,” she told Nigerian media.
She also did not advance to the finals in the two track events, finishing sixth in her keirin heat and 28th in the sprint qualifiers. Nonetheless, Ukpeseraye remains proud of her achievements, writing on X that she has “set the ball rolling for cycling in Nigeria.”
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