Nigerian cyclist Ese Ukpeseraye, who recently competed in the 2024 Olympic Games, has revealed why she had to borrow a bicycle from German colleagues to participate in her events, News About Nigeria reports.
The 25-year-old, who holds titles as both the National and African Road Championships champion, shared her experience in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Ukpeseraye, representing Nigeria, said she was unexpectedly called to compete in the keirin and sprint cycling events, but she had no bicycle of her own due to the short notice of her participation.
Despite these challenges, she competed on Wednesday but was unable to advance beyond the initial rounds, finishing sixth in her heat.
Though she did not progress through the repechage round, Ukpeseraye made history as the first Nigerian cyclist to participate in the Olympics.
Reflecting on her experience, she expressed gratitude for the support she received from the German cycling team, which provided her with a bicycle in the spirit of sportsmanship.
“Due to the short notice of me competing in the Keirin & Sprint events, I had no bicycle to race with on the tracks,” Ukpeseraye wrote on X.
“In the spirit of sportsmanship, the German team @bunddeutscherradfahr came to my rescue by offering me a bicycle. Thank you.”
Her story comes on the heels of another notable Nigerian performance at the 2024 Olympics.
Tobi Amusan, the current world record holder, advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s 100m hurdles event in Paris, winning her heat with a time of 12.49 seconds.
Alaysha Johnson from the United States trailed behind Amusan, clocking 12.61 seconds to take second place.
Janeek Brown of Jamaica also advanced to the next round, finishing third in the heat with a time of 12.84 seconds.
