Akwasi Frimpong 31 spots up world men’s skeleton ranking after TEDx talk
“Three days after my first TEDx talk in the Netherlands I discovered I had moved up 31 places on the world men’s skeleton rankings according to the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) standings released in the last quarter of January 2019,” exclaimed an excited Akwasi Frimpong to TheAfricanDream.net in an interview.
“31 places up, man this by far is my biggest climb on the IBSF men’s skeleton table, I must tell you how thankful I am to my management team,” Akwasi said.
He continued saying “special thanks to Zach Lund who is Head Performance Director of the Bobsled and Skeleton Federation of Ghana (BSF – Ghana), Dr. Vernon Darko the BSF – Ghana President, and my fans all over Africa and the world,” said Ghana and Africa’s first male skeleton athlete at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
This feat now places the Olympian 68th on the IBSF table overall 112 which is quite impressive considering the fact that he beat out other male skeleton athletes from countries with an abundance of snow in winter. Ironically, Ghana and most of Africa has no snow.
When TheAfricanDream.net asked how he attained this result, the men’s skeleton athlete attributed it to loads of hard work, dedication and a great team.
Akwasi explained that ‘Hope of a Billion’ is not just about inspiring only Africans on and off the continent, but becoming a force of positivity with can-do-spirit through “my inspiring story. I want to impact lives globally and my TEDx Alkmaar talk on January 21 in the Netherlands is just my way of showing my belief in diversity and the importance of reaching out to all humanity.”
“With this in success at hand, I intend to continue the journey to become the ‘Hope of a Billion‘ by giving myself more time to concentrate on the grand agenda. As a result, I am skipping the 2019 world championships this march in Canada to begin training for next season.”
Ranked 99th last year and now one of the biggest risers on the IBSF table, Akwasi explained to TheAfricanDream.net that he probably could have ranked higher if he had received “more partners supporting and sponsoring my efforts to become the ‘Hope of a Billion’ Africans. That notwithstanding maybe we can make it to the top of the IBSF world.“
“It is my biggest goal to stand on the podium at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics as the ‘Hope Of a Billion’ by winning Africa’s first Winter Olympic medal and motivating all underdogs and every African child that they can become whatever they want to be.”
Whether you want to be a lawyer, a doctor, a carpenter, or an Olympian — anything is possible if you work harder and believe in your dreams Akwasi said. The athlete has reached a mutual agreement with his coach Zach Lund this year to not head to the skeleton world championships.
“It would rather be worth it if I begin training camp in Park City, Utah in the US where I can get a lot of sliding in and at the same time be with my family while working on the fundamentals of the sport.”
To become a part of Akwasi’s ‘Hope of a Billion’ project, sponsor his Winter Olympics dream or find out more about what he is up to, visit frimpong.com.
Written by Oral Ofori of TheAfricanDream.net
Oral Ofori is Founder and Publisher at www.TheAfricanDream.net, a digital storyteller and producer, and also an information and research consultant.
