Adeagbo, King Make History as First African Pair to Compete in 2-Woman Bobsleigh World Cup

Nigerian athletes Simidele Adeagbo and Kewe King have written their names into history as the first African 2-woman bobsleigh team to compete in an International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) World Cup event. The pair made their landmark debut on Sunday at the Eugenio Monti Sliding Centre in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

They finished 25th with 40 points in a race won by Germany’s Olympic and World champion Laura Nolte, who claimed victory on her 27th birthday alongside brakewoman Deborah Levi. USA’s Kaysha Love and Azaria Hill followed in second place, while Kaillie Armbruster Humphries secured her first 2-woman World Cup podium in nearly three years with a third-place finish.

Despite not placing near the top, Adeagbo and King’s achievement drew praise from the National Sports Commission (NSC).
In a statement shared on X, the NSC celebrated the milestone:
“Today, Sunday, 23 November 2025, Team Nigeria makes history as Simidele Adeagbo and Kewe King step onto the ice in Cortina d’Ampezzo for their official 2-woman bobsleigh World Cup debut. This milestone strengthens Nigeria’s growing footprint in global winter sports.”

The commission highlighted Adeagbo’s trailblazing career, noting her status as the first African to compete in bobsleigh at the IBSF World Championships and the first African athlete to win an international sled race. Their partnership, the NSC added, represents “a major breakthrough for the continent.”

Earlier in the year, Adeagbo recorded two top-25 finishes in the women’s monobob at the IBSF World Cup in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Since switching from triple jump to winter sports in 2017, she has consistently pushed continental boundaries.

In 2018, she became Nigeria and Africa’s first female skeleton athlete at the Winter Olympics in South Korea. She went on to win the women’s monobob event at the 2022 EuroCup, becoming the first African to triumph in an international sledge race.

Last year, she became the first African competitor in bobsleigh at the IBSF World Championships, and in 2024, she broke new ground once again by finishing in the top 20 at the BMW IBSF World Championships in Winterberg, Germany — marking Nigeria’s first-ever appearance in bobsleigh at a World Championships.