Her dream started in 2006 at Mount Saint Joseph Academy when took her first stroke. Following high school, Chierika Ukogu attended Stanford University and competed at the D1 level while completing pre-med coursework.
Even when she did not get any support from the Nigerian Rowing federation, she set up a fundraiser on Gofundme (a crowdfunding platform) to fund her dream. Her dream was to have the chance to represent Nigeria in the 2016 Olympic Games. And she is presently representing Nigeria in the Women’s Single Scull event.
Now she has qualified straight through to the quarterfinals not far behind Austria, the 2016 European Champion and Czech Republic, 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist.
Though a daughter of Nigerian immigrants, she has always felt strong ties to Nigeria. In 2007, she founded a non-profit organization called Flip Flops for Africa and donated 10,000 pairs of flip flops to Nigerians in need.
According to her, she hopes that her athletic endeavours will inspire other Nigerians to take up rowing and experience the same joy she feels every time she is on the water.
We celebrate you Chierika. For those who want to identify with her and assist in funding, go to her GoFundMe page where she has raised $12,606 out of the $15,000 she needs.
