Narrative Landscape Press

Simidele Adeagbo is a trailblazing Olympian and vital voice in leading a movement to bring about greater inclusion and gender equality in sport. In 2018, Simidele became the first Nigerian Winter Olympian and the first African and Black woman to compete in skeleton (a sport in which athletes hurl themselves headfirst on a sled down an icy hill at 80 miles an hour) at the Olympics. She has since become the first African gold medal winner at an international bobsled race and is the most decorated Nigerian and African bobsled and skeleton athlete of all time.

Hailed as “a role model for Africa and beyond” by the New York Times, Simidele is also a successful global business leader, Obama Foundation Leader, Yale University World Fellow, inspirational speaker and passionate advocate for women and girls. She is the founder of the SimiSleighs Foundation which is working for a world where every girl can learn, lead and benefit from the power of sports. She’s fondly known as “Africa’s original Sleigh Queen” for her historic contribution to sports and her relentless drive to bring change, hope and inspiration for generations to come.