Swish Enchantment shortly caught up with Ify Okoro to listen to in regards to the 2024 Olympic Video games. Okoro was a member of the Nigerian Nationwide Group that made historical past in Paris, not solely by profitable the crew’s first Olympic sport in 20 years but additionally by turning into the primary African crew—ladies’s or males’s—to achieve the quarterfinals.
We focus on the three group video games, Rena Wakama’s teaching, the sisterhood between gamers and the crew’s reception within the nation. Listed here are just a few highlights:
On getting into the courtroom in opposition to France in her Olympic debut:
It felt actually nice as a result of coming to the Olympics is each athlete’s dream. So stepping on the courtroom was like a breath of recent air…..After I stepped on the courtroom, I used to be, “Okay. We simply hold doing what we’ve been doing,” which is taking part in protection and stopping the ball after which taking part in offense and that’s all we did.
On Coach Wakama preserving the bench gamers motivated:
For us it’s past basketball as a result of we’re like sisters, ? So no matter wherever you might be, we help one another, no matter what your place is, what your position is, us going out collectively is like we’re there for one another. We’re there to help one another. So whether or not your quantity is known as or not. And in order that’s what she’s like, “Simply prepare. Simply keep prepared” and that power simply makes us really feel like, “Okay, sure, I want to remain prepared even after I’m on the bench.” I must be prepared as a result of, clearly, whenever you’re on the bench, it’s a must to help these which might be taking part in to have the ability to get in, as a result of whenever you get in additionally you want the identical help.
On the help she acquired after the crew made the quarterfinals:
I acquired loads of messages, an entire lot. I’m grateful for the folks that reached out as a result of they had been all supporting us and simply praying for us to maintain going. I acquired loads of messages. I couldn’t even undergo them.
