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Winter athletes

The athlete who fought for women's ski jumping to be included in the Winter Olympics, and the first African woman to compete in Olympic skeleton.

Women making history on the snow and ice. Kim Chakanetsa meets two female athletes who are pioneers in their winter sports.

Simidele Adeagbo is a Nigerian who is the first African woman to compete in the skeleton category of the Winter Olympics. Originally a track and field athlete, she set out to break barriers in winter sports but was faced with the challenge of no snow or tracks to practise on. The first time she touched a skeleton sled was in 2017, but she qualified for the Pyeongchang Games earlier this year.

Lindsey Marie Van is a veteran of women's ski jumping, and was instrumental in fighting for its inclusion in the Olympics. Lindsey campaigned and was part of a gender discrimination lawsuit. After 90 years of male ski jumping, one competition was finally added for women at the 2014 Sochi games (men have three chances to compete). After this huge victory, Lindsey's recurrent knee injury forced her to retire. The Utah athlete was, however, a 16-time national champion and the 2009 world champion.

(L) Lindsey Van (credit: Lars Baron/Getty Images)
(R) Simidele Adeagbo (credit: Candice Ward)

Available now

27 minutes

Last on

Sat 2 Jun 2018 19:32GMT

Broadcasts

  • Mon 28 May 2018 02:32GMT
  • Mon 28 May 2018 03:32GMT
  • Mon 28 May 2018 04:32GMT
  • Mon 28 May 2018 10:32GMT
  • Mon 28 May 2018 21:32GMT
  • Sat 2 Jun 2018 19:32GMT

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