8 Black Women To Root For During The 2018 Olympic Winter Games

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Athletes from around the world dream of winning the coveted gold medal. This year the very best athletes in the world will have that chance.

The 2018 Winter Olympics kicks off Feb. 9 in Pyeongchang County, South Korea. Among the competitors are a group of dedicated Black women who have waited for this moment, and we’re here to root them on.

Before the torch is lit, check out the Black Girl Magic taking over the XXIII Olympic Winter Games.

Maame Biney

Maame Biney is only 17 years old and she’s already in the history books. Biney is the first Black woman to qualify for a U.S. Olympic speed skating team. She won a bronze medal in the 500-meter race at the world junior championships last season. Born in Ghana, Biney moved to Maryland with her father when she was five years old. Her father is also clearly her biggest fan: he was at her second finals match with a sign that read “Kick some hiney Biney

The Nigerian Bobsled Team – Seun Adigun, Ngozi Onwumere and Akuoma Omeoga

Even before the bobsledding team from Nigeria touches the ice, they’ve already made history. Seun Adigun, Ngozi Onwumere, and Akuoma Omeoga are the first Africans ever to compete in the sport of bobsled. It all began when 31-year-old Seun Adigun launched a GoFundMe in 2016 to help fund a bobsled team to compete in the 2018 Olympics. She even handcrafted a wooden training sled to begin preparing for the journey. Adigun used all of her savings and teammates Ngozi Onwumere, 26 and Akuoma Omeoga, 25 joined her on the journey to PyeongChang. The entire team began their Olympic journey through track and field. The history-making women have already landed lucrative sponsorships with Under Armour, Visa and a commercial with Beats by Dr. Dre. The team goes for the gold on Feb. 20.

Erin Jackson

No one was more shocked at Erin Jackson making the U.S. Olympic speed skating team than Jackson herself. While Jackson has been an inline speed skater for 15 years, she made the Olympic team after only competing for four months. “I really wasn’t expecting any of this, just coming in as a newbie, just trying to do the best I can. A couple weeks ago, I was still in the 40s. I think I hadn’t even broken 40 [seconds] yet, so it’s all happened really fast,” she said. Jackson has already earned 11 world medals and 47 national championships during her careers. She has had the honor of being name the U.S. Olympic Committee Female Athlete of the Year for Roller Sports three times.

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