Ghanaian Winter Olympian, Akwasi Frimpong who is based in Utah in the USA had the honor of playing a part in the historic announcement and merriment of Salt Lake City being selected as the host of the 2034 Winter Olympic Games yesterday in Park City, Utah. 

In 2018 Frimpong became the first skeleton athlete from Ghana, Ghana’s second Winter Olympian and the first black male skeleton athlete in the Olympic history.Frimpong qualified for the 2018 Olympics in skeleton by obtaining a near-automatic invitation by virtue of continental representation, being the only male athlete representing the African continent. Frimpong finished in last place at the PyeongChang Games, of the thirty entrants, a year after finishing in last place at the 2017 IBSF World Championships of the 44 entrants.On February 29, 2020, Akwasi Frimpong became the first skeleton athlete from Africa to win an elite skeleton race sanctioned by the USA Bobsled and Skeleton Federation in Park City, Utah.

Frimpong is married to Erica Shields-Frimpong.

“Congratulations, Utah, and thank you for always embracing me like your own” he expressed.

From Sammy Heywood Okine