Nigerian-born German athlete Yemisi Ogunleye, who clinched gold within the girls’s shot put on the 2024 Summer time Olympics in Paris, led a worship service in her church upon her return, attributing her success to divine intervention and sharing her victory with church members.
Through the church service on the Christ Gospel Metropolis church in Karlsruhe, Germany, Ogunleye invited members and elders to put on her gold medal, indicating that her achievement was not simply private however a collective victory for her religion neighborhood. It’s the church that has constructed her up, she mentioned, speaking in regards to the foundational position her early church attendance performed in her life.
She defined that when her mom first introduced her to church early in her life, she did not perceive the need of attending. Nonetheless, she added, at the moment, she is profoundly grateful to her mom as a result of these early experiences laid the inspiration for her religion, which additionally helped her in athletics.
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The 25-year-old athlete’s journey to gold was marked by a dramatic second in the course of the occasion when she almost misplaced her steadiness as a result of wet circumstances however managed to safe a successful put distance of 20 meters, edging out New Zealand’s Maddi Wesche by .14 meters.
Throughout a press convention, Ogunleye, who as soon as sang in a gospel choir, mentioned singing to God in reward and worship has helped her deal with the Lord throughout troublesome occasions, together with her efficiency on the Olympics. She mentioned she leaned on God in the course of the Olympics by singing the gospel music “I Almost Let Go.”
Ogunleye’s efficiency of the music, which describes overcoming hardships by way of religion, resonated broadly, garnering over 1 million views on social media. The music’s authentic artist, Kurt Carr, and notable figures like evangelist Franklin Graham praised her for utilizing her platform to specific her religion.
“Olympic gold medal winner Yemisi Ogunleye stuns the press with a beautiful song about how Jesus Christ has kept her,” wrote evangelist Franklin Graham on Fb.
“Thank you for letting your light shine and showing the world your love of God. Congrats on winning a gold medal for Germany in shot put,” wrote Carr.
Her resolution to compete within the Olympics was additionally a faith-driven endeavor. “I was just saying a prayer. It was the moment when I knew that if I have the faith, I am capable of doing more than I can think or ask for. In that moment, I just took all the energy that I had left and just put it out there,” Ogunleye mentioned, in response to World Athletics.
Ogunleye instructed Olympics.com that her resolution to take part within the Olympics was solely made by first looking for the Lord. “Some time ago, I was just praying and asking God what he wants to do with the Olympic Games. And He was like, ‘We are going to get gold.’ I did not have faith at that moment. But He kept on telling me,” Ogunleye mentioned. “It sounds literally crazy, but I have seen it in front of my eyes, and I really started to have faith and the confidence that it is possible.”
“Well bless their hearts.”
