Akwasi Frimpong Places Last At Winter Olympics But Still Makes Ghana Proud

Akwasi Frimpong’s Olympic dreams has been cut short.

Ghana’s Akwasi Frimpong finished last in his Olympic debut. However, he was a smash-hit with his plucky efforts in the skeleton on Friday.

Despite freezing temperatures, Frimpong has lit up the Olympic skeleton competition.

He trailed home in 30th position. He was over 11 seconds behind eventual winner Yun Sung-bin of South Korea after his third and final run. However, he still feels like a champion.

The Olympian spent two years selling vacuum cleaners door-to-door to finance his dream. He stated that he can’t wait to take a break on a beach somewhere.

Akwasi Frimpong made these statements to the AFP.

“I’m going to take my wife on vacation,” Frimpong told AFP.

“I don’t know where yet, but somewhere warm — I want the sun and the sand. Hopefully, I can surprise her by taking her somewhere like Hawaii. Or maybe the Dominican Republic, where we went on honeymoon.”

 

“I came last but the most important thing is that I won the hearts of the people,” said Frimpong, who previously failed to qualify for the Olympics as a sprinter and in bobsleigh.

“The Olympic experience was awesome. I’ve never been in a place where so many people are cheering you on,” he added after becoming only the second athlete from Ghana to compete at a Winter Games.

“You feel like you’re a gold medallist, that’s how they make you feel each run. It’s incredible.”

“It was such an emotional moment for me because I remember in July 2015 my wife told me she didn’t want me to be 99 years old and still chasing my Olympic dream,” said Frimpong, who moved to the Netherlands when he was just eight.

“My wife wanted me to go after it and without her support and her pushing me, doing two, three jobs while she was pregnant, I wouldn’t be here today.”

Moreover, Frimpong struggled to convince people to sponsor his Olympic dreams. He is the second Ghanaian to participate in the Winter Olympics behind Ghana’s “Snow Leopard” Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong. He competed in slalom skiing at the 2010 Vancouver Games.

Furthermore, Frimpong already wants more of the adventure.

“I still have a lot to improve on. I came last but it doesn’t matter. I’ve only been doing it for a year and a half.

The rest of the world doesn’t understand the work you have to do behind the scenes.

But I know what it takes to get here and I’m just really eager and excited for the next four years.”