- Ogunleye as an inspiration: "Encourage the future generations"
After being crowned Olympic champion, Yemisi Ogunleye enchanted the press conference with her singing, she began with a broad smile. The shot putter, after a short night, shared touching messages from her brother and a close friend who is "like a big sister". Their children were cheering her on TV.
"When I saw the little ones cheering me on and being so excited, I knew this medal was also for the next generation, to inspire them to hold onto their dreams, no matter what comes their way," said the 25-year-old. "You can move mountains if you have faith."
"Heart filled with gratitude"
Ogunleye, who obliged the request to showcase her singing talent after winning the gold medal at the Stade de France, is deeply religious. She expressed this in a gospel song where she thanked God, the same song she sang during her impressive competition.
"My heart is simply filled with gratitude," said the surprise Olympic champion. After her gold win, she ran to the curve to celebrate with her family and coaches. "My family was sitting in the front row, experiencing that moment was simply incredible," she described the emotional moments with her loved ones, "I hugged everyone and cried tears of joy together."
Gold after 28 years
Germany won gold in shot put for the first time since Astrid Kumbernuss in 1996. Ogunleye is the fifth German woman to achieve Olympic victory in this athletics discipline. "That was completely crazy. I didn't sleep for half the night," Kumbernuss told the German Press Agency. "She has a great charisma and looks sympathetic. There couldn't be anything better for shot put in Germany."
Better than in Tokyo
After silver for decathlete Leo Neugebauer and long jumper Malaika Mihambo, and bronze for the women's 4x100m sprint relay, Ogunleye brought great glory to Saint-Denis. In Tokyo, Germany's athletes won one gold and two silvers in athletics. "World championships fade from the mind, but an Olympic victory stays with you forever," said coach Iris Manke-Reimers to the German Press Agency. "We've come a long way together, and it was worth it."
Ogunleye started as a gymnast but grew too tall. After switching to heptathlon, she suffered a severe knee injury, but her potential as a shot putter was recognized. At 14, she came to Manke-Reimers on crutches. It took a long time before she could run a hall round again. Later, she tore her second cruciate ligament, but Ogunleye overcame all obstacles, helped by her faith.
Faith and "dark thoughts"
Her journey wasn't easy. As a young girl, she was taken to church, and she was once a victim of bullying, told she couldn't do anything. In times of "dark thoughts" and difficult phases, her "faith journey" began. "It was like a quiet voice speaking through the dark thoughts," said the 25-year-old. She hopes to give people hope and joy.
Ogunleye has experienced racism against her, even here, faith helped. Her father is from Nigeria, her mother is German. She was born in Germany, comes from Belheim in the Palatinate. And she is "proud to be a mixed-race person," as she said after finishing second at the indoor World Championships this year. She added a European bronze in June in Rome. "She has won a full set of medals this year. That's incredible," said her coach.
"God, you made it so easy"
Before her final attempt, where she threw the winning distance of 20.00 meters, the devout athlete turned to God. "I was in the ring and I knew this was going to happen. I just said: God, come into the ring with me and give me the strength and the necessary courage," said Ogunleye. "When I saw that the ball had landed on the 20-meter line, it was just a moment where I was so shocked. God, you made it so easy."
Silver medalist Maddison-Lee Wesche from New Zealand and bronze medalist Song Jiayun from China look much more powerful next to Ogunleye. She owes her Olympic victory partly to her rotational technique. "I used to do gymnastics and that gave me a certain body awareness," she said. Her height and long arms help her. "I'm musical, I have a sense of rhythm. And I have the size, leverage, and explosive power you need for rotational throwing."
In her heartfelt gratitude, Ogunleye expressed that she felt blessed to represent not just herself but also her family and the next generation, aspiring athletes in France, after her triumphant win at the Stade de France in France.
Further evidence of Germany's prominence in athletics was demonstrated by Yemisi Ogunleye's gold medal victory in the shot put event at the Stade de France, a accolade Germany hadn't achieved since Astrid Kumbernuss in 1996, both events taking place in France.
