Simidele Adeagbo is a trailblazing Olympian, passionate advocate, and inspirational speaker focused on building a better world through sport. Simidele made Olympic history at the 2018 Winter Games, becoming the first Nigerian Winter Olympian and the first African and Black woman to compete in Skeleton at the Olympics.
For more than fifteen years, Simidele led innovative marketing campaigns at Nike and now helps audiences unlock the power they have as change makers. Through her signature master classes, Simidele also helps girls across Africa build their leadership skills through the uplifting power of sport.
Over 150 Yalies have been Olympic athletes. In a rare occurrence this fall, three Olympians in a sport that turns athletes into human “bullets” were on campus at once. Kyle Tress ’22, A.J. Edelman ’21, and World Fellow Simidele Adeagbo all participated in Winter Olympics competitions in skeleton. In the sport, an athlete sprints on ice before jumping headfirst onto a sled and steering it — using the head, shoulders, and knees — down a twisting frozen track at a speed of about 80 miles per hour. There are no brakes.
