CINCINNATI, Ohio — As the Paris Olympics continue, one Ohio native and University of Cincinnati grad is using this as her second chance to compete on this stage.
What You Need To Know
- Annette Echikunwoke qualified for Team USA in hammer throw
- She is a University of Cincinnati graduate and Pickerington North alum
- Echikunwoke qualified for the Olympics with Nigeria in 2020 but was disqualified due to a Nigerian clerical error
- Now, she hopes to go into the games with confidence to do her best
Annette Echikunwoke isn’t a sprinter, but the hammer thrower uses all types of workouts to her advantage.
“Everything we do, big or small, it mirrors what we need to do in the ring," she said. "So this is just reminding me of the speed I have.”
The 2018 University of Cincinnati grad uses her old stomping grounds to train.
“I haven’t left," Echikunwoke said. "I’ve been here since I graduated.”
And as an NCAA champion and school record holder, she’s now ready for her next big competition: the Olympics.
“It’s really cool," she said. "I’m excited to be there, and I don’t know, just get the job done.”
She's even staring down the Olympic flag as a little bit of extra motivation during lifts.
Echikunwoke is highly motivated for this year’s Olympic games. She qualified for the Tokyo games with Nigeria, her parents' home country, but found out days before the competition that there was a clerical error that would make her ineligible.
“Being on the Nigerian team after all that happened, one of the biggest parts was I didn’t have the heart to compete for a federation that just didn’t value their athletes and kind of were like, you know, things happen and we’ll move on," she said. "And it’s like, you can’t take this stuff lightly.”
Which is why she decided to try out for Team USA this time around, a decision she takes a lot of pride in.
“I love to rep it. I love to rep USA," she said. "I feel valued. Team USA is the team with the most medals in the Olympics for a reason. And I think they do a good job of taking care of their athletes, and I’ve felt that. It makes you want to contribute the best that you have.”
This Olympics is a clean slate for Echikunwoke, one her coach at UC, Susan Seaton, is helping her through. Seaton recruited Echikunwoke from Pickerington North, just outside of Columbus, to be a Bearcat.
“I realized pretty early on that she was a special talent, just very physically gifted, but also, you know, willing to push herself," Seaton said.
Seaton is traveling with Echikunwoke to coach her and keep her focused but also to remind her of all she’s accomplished.
“I always tell her before she starts competing that regardless what happens, I'm super proud of her and that she's amazing," Echikunwoke said. "And so that never really changes. and so yes, very, very proud and very excited to go and conquer this Paris Olympics.”
Now, all Echikunwoke can do is continue to work on the little details ahead of her Olympic debut.
“This is the most calm I've felt actually going into it," Echikunwoke said. "And like, most confident, and, yeah, I think it's, I think it's going to reap a lot of, a lot of good fruit.”
Echikunwoke starts competition on Aug. 4 in the preliminary round, with finals on Aug. 6.