Unless you’re a dedicated Olympics fan, you might not know who Chioma Ajunwa is. She might have only competed in one Olympic game but she has used her platform to speak up on issues, especially inequality in sports. She is no longer competing, but Ajunwa deserves to be spolighted for her work, on and off the track. Here are 5 facts about Chioma Ajunwa.
1. She Competed In The 1996 Olympics
As I’ve already mentioned, Chioma Ajunwa only competed in 1996. However, that’s all it took for Ajunwa to make history. She only competed in the women’s long jump but won a gold medal and became the first West-African and Nigerian woman to win a gold medal. In addition to that, she was the first athlete from Nigeria to win a gold medal and she still holds the individual title to this day. She also competed in the 1997 World Indoor Championships and won silver in the long jump.
2. She Originally Played Soccer
Ajuwa’s love affair with sports actually began with soccer or football as it’s called in Nigeria. She began playing for the Nigeria women’s national football team which is nicknamed the Super Falcons. As a member of the Super Falcons, Ajuwa did not play much as the coach usually kept her on he bench in favor of other players. That didn’t stop her and the rest of the team from going to the World Cup in 1991 where they would place 10th.
3. She Started An Anti-Doping Campaign
Even before Ajunwa could realize her Olympic dreams, she actually almost didn’t get a chance. In 1992, she tested positive for banned substances and she was suspended for four years. Through all of it, she maintained her innocence and still does to this day. She even talked openly about how the doctors in Nigeria are different than other doctors, “Here in Nigeria, most of the chemist people, even the doctors, gave to athletes maybe your sick, maybe you are having a kind of pain, have banned substance in it” In 2010, she wrote a paper on the topic which she read during an Athletics Federation of Nigeria presentation and she has even worked on athletes becoming more educated about doping and even handed out t-shirts.
4. She Speaks Up About Inequality
During her Olympic triumph, Ajunwa was overshadowed much like last week’s spotlight, Helen Maroulis. Instead of one person overshadowing her, she was overshadowed by the entire Nigerian’s Men’s Football Team who won a gold medal at the games. She spoke about it later, discussing how she was given an award while the Men’s team was awarded money.
She’s also been extremely vocal about women’s sports not being recognized in her country, “I can tell you more on what women are doing, but it is quite a pity that sometimes it’s like we are not being taken serious. In football, from the time I was playing with the Falcons, we are the best, even till today. It was, maybe two years back, when some African countries defeated our girls, but nonetheless, the girls are doing fantastically well.”
5. She Is Now A Police Officer
After her Olympic run, Ajunwa decided to take her talents to the force. Despite that, she has still found time to speak up on other issues and found time to have triplets, two boys, and a girl. She is currently a Divisional Police Officer in Lagos, the country’s largest city. It’s good to see Ajunwa still making changes and working to educate people while working full-time as an officer and as a mother. She might not be as well-known as other gold medalists, but her story is definitely worth knowing!
