Samuel Ikpefan Nigeria’s sole participant at Winter Olympics in action this weekend
Samuel Ikpefan carries the hopes of his nation at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics
Nigeria's Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics hopes rest on the shoulders of a single athlete this year: Samuel Ikpefan. He is one of the 15 athletes from eight African countries participating in this competition. However, his participation is special. Having qualified for this tournament for the second consecutive time, the 34-year-old is the first Nigerian athlete to do so.
A brief profile on Ikpefan reveals that he grew up near the French Alps (Haute-Savoie in France) - his mother's homeland, while his father is from Edo State in Nigeria. It must be pointed out that before changing his allegiance to Nigeria in 2018, he had previously represented France at the youth level.
The cross-country skier's big break came in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. It was his debut in this tournament. There were some complications regarding his participation. He tested positive for COVID-19, which had him isolated for five days.
He did manage to feature in the Men's Sprint Free and Men's 15km Interval Start Classic, but he withdrew from the latter. His results were outside the running for a podium finish.
Here's a breakdown of his 2022 Winter Olympics results:
| Rank | Event | Year | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 73rd | Men's Sprint Free | 2022 | Beijing, China. |
| DNF | Men's 15km Interval Start Classic | 2022 | Beijing, China. |
*DNF - Did not finish
As you can see from the table above, Samuel Ikpefan was not in good shape to compete in any of those events. This time around, he has expressed his determination to give his best at the ongoing Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
Can Ikpefan keep Nigeria's Winter Olympics dreams alive ahead of the 10km race?
Samuel Ikpefan is set to be in action this weekend. He has already kicked off his tournament run. It wasn't a great start as he finished 65th in the men’s sprint classic qualification on Tuesday.
This wasn't enough to see him advance to the next stage - the quarterfinal qualification, which features the top 30 athletes. He earned 166.13 FIS points for his efforts. Norway's Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, who is unbeatable in the sprint, secured the gold medal. This also marked his seventh Olympic gold medal.
The next event is the men’s 10km interval, scheduled for a Friday. The cross-country skier should be able to redeem himself in what will be his final race at the games. This is also his chance to win Nigeria's first gold medal at the Winter Olympics. The country has made four appearances in this tournament since their debut at PyeongChang 2018.
Match details:
- Date and Time: 13 February 2026, 12:45.
- Venue: Tesero Cross-Country, Val di Fiemme, Northern Italy.
