For the first time ever, Nigeria will be represented at the Olympics rowing event in 2016 by a resilient 23 year old woman.
But this feat didn’t come easy for Chierika Ukogu, who had to put off medical school for 2 years just to make her dream of representing Nigeria at the Olympics possible.
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Despite not receiving any financial help from the Nigerian government, this Stanford University graduate funded her training and travel expenses through her full-time job and T-shirt sales.
However, with the Olympics drawing nearer, the need to train harder drove Chiereka to raise more funds via her GoFundMe page.
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Although she was born and raised by Nigeria parents in the U.S, Chiereka is thrilled to be the first Nigerian athlete to row at the Olympics
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What motivates her isn’t just her personal goal to be a great athlete, but also the need to promote sports in Africa and also inspire young people in Nigeria and the U.S.
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