Olympic champion Ogunleye creates a very special moment
German athletes shine at the Olympic Games in Paris, outperforming their previous performance in Tokyo. Sensation Kugelstoßerin Yemisi Ogunleye marks the golden finale at the stadium. Her past and a hobby help her technique.
As the newly crowned Olympic champion in Kugelstoßen, Yemisi Ogunleye captivated the audience at the closing press conference. After being asked to demonstrate her singing talent, the 25-year-old expressed her gratitude to God with a soulful Gospel song - the same song she claimed to have sung during her impressive performance. It was a goosebumps moment. "My heart is simply filled with gratitude," said the surprise Olympic champion. After her gold medal win, she ran to the curve to celebrate with her family and coaches. "My family was sitting in the front row, experiencing this moment was simply incredible. I hugged everyone and we cried tears of joy together."
Germany wins gold in Kugelstoßen for the first time since Astrid Kumbernuss in 1996. Ogunleye is the fifth German woman to achieve this feat in this athletics discipline. After silver medals for decathlete Leo Neugebauer and long jumper Malaika Mihambo, and a bronze medal for the women's 4x100m relay team, Ogunleye brought great glory to Germany at the Stade de France. There are no more German athletes competing in the finals on Saturday. In Tokyo, there was one gold and two silver medals.
The competition didn't start well for the Mannheim native. In the first round, she slipped in the wet ring and fell on her knee. "I had the chance: Do I give up now or do I continue?" she recalled. Three years after Mihambo's gold, with whom Ogunleye had sung together in the Olympic warm-up, the Kugelstoßerin is the next German Olympic champion.
"God, you made it so easy"
Before her final throw of 20.00 meters, the devout athlete turned to God. "I stood in the ring and I knew this was going to happen. I said: God, come with me into the ring and give me the strength and necessary courage," said Ogunleye. "When I saw the ball land on the 20-meter line, it was a moment of shock. God, you made it so easy."
In difficult times, she found her way to God. Ogunleye had to fight back from severe injuries, deal with racism and bullying. Her father is from Nigeria, her mother is German. Born in Germany, she comes from Bellheim in the Palatinate. She is proud to be a mixed-race person, as she said after finishing second at the World Indoor Championships this year. She also won bronze at the European Championships in Rome in June.
But nothing compares to her Olympic moment in Paris. Silver medalist Maddison-Lee Wesche from New Zealand and bronze medalist Song Jiayun from China appear much more powerful than Ogunleye. She owes her Olympic victory to the spin technique. "I used to do gymnastics, which gave me a certain body awareness," she said. "I'm musical, I have rhythm, and I have the size, leverage, and quickness needed for spin throwing."
After bringing great glory to Germany with her gold medal win in Kugelstoßen, Yemisi Ogunleye expressed her gratitude to Paris, the city that hosted the Olympic Games. The memorable moment in Paris was not just her victory, but also the emotional press conference where she shared her soulful Gospel song.
Despite facing challenges and struggles in her athletic career, Yemisi Ogunleye found strength and courage in Paris, a city that echoed with her victory and personal triumphs.
