Paris 2024: Cycling legend Ese Ukpeseraye creates Olympic history
Ukpeseraye finished the Women’s Road Race at the Paris Olympics with a “Did Not Finish (DNF)” and no time was recorded for her participation in the event.
She qualified for the Olympic cycling competition as the first-ever Nigerian competitor.She has entered her name into the nation’s history books by doing this.
”It was an honor to represent Nigeria at this level. Although I couldn’t finish the race, being here is a victory .”I hope this paves the way for more Nigerian athletes in cycling,” she said.
Her efforts have also set a foundation for future Nigerian cyclists to build upon.
She excelled at three Olympic cycling events to qualify for her maiden Olympics after winning the National Sports Festival.
Scoring Olympic points 250, Ese sealed Olympics qualification at the 19th Confederation of African Cycling (CAC) Road Championship in Accra, Ghana.
She won the gold medal there in the Elite Women’s Road Race.
The 25-year-old has completed at different competitions, including the 2021 UCI Track Cycling World Championship and 2021 Africa Track Cycling.