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E-mail Xinhua, August 10, 2024
By Oliver Trust
BERLIN, August 10 (Xinhua) -- Yemisi Ogunleye has been through dark moments before the 25-year-old found a safe sportive haven.
The daughter of a Nigerian father and a German mother might have remembered her restless search for sportive happiness when she rang the gigantic bell in the Stade de France that Olympic champions are asked to sound.
Similarly surprising to the musical interlude came the victory of the German sports soldier in the women's shot-put competition. In her last attempt, the mark of 20 meters made Ogunleye outpace her competitors.
Before turning her head to shot-putting, gymnastics and heptathlon dominated her life but caused serious knee injuries. Two operations at the age of 15 and 16 after a torn cruciate ligament forced her to rethink her preferences.
"It might sound wired, but the challenging time of the knee operations brought me to shot-putting," the Mannheim-born athlete said, adding: "From the start, I felt I have a certain talent and developed a joy for the sport I didn't expect."
The second place at the 2024 Indoor World Championships in Glasgow and the third at the 2024 European Championships in Rome announced about the mental support from her coach Iris Manke-Reimers.
"Ahead of the last attempt she told me, I haven't reached the end of the track yet. You can win gold and move mountains," the German said.
The deeply religious athlete won the first German shot-put gold since Astrid Kumbernuss at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
"I felt internal peace that moment which isn't from this earth," she said. She knew about the magic moment when approaching her last attempt.
New Zealand's Maddison-Lee Wesche finished second at 19.86 meters ahead of the bronze winner, China's Song Jiayun (19.32).
Burdened by a bumpy qualification for the final due to a slippery shot-put ring after light rain, Ogunleye narrowly managed to reach the next round. Again, it took her last try to make it into the final.
Everything but taking gold was on her mind at that moment, she told the media. She made fans and media share her happiness by singing a religious song while sitting on the winners' podium.
Ahead of her golden shot "I raised my arms and told God, that is the moment you promised me."
Tears came quickly after she started her lap of honor covered in the German flag "as I was overwhelmed by my feelings."
She spoke about a dream-like experience that came entirely unexpected. "I didn't expect that, and it might take some days to realize. Right now, it feels unreal." Enditem
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