Nigerian-Born Paralympian Wins Shot Put Gold In U.S. Event

Nigerian-born American shot put thrower Dennis Ogbe impressed claiming the gold medal in the shot put event at the 2013 United States Paralympics Track and Field National Championships in San Antonio before severe weather conditions forced the event’s postponement.

Officials postponed session two events five minutes before they were due to commence because of a nearby lightning storm with an accompanying heavy downpour of rain, leaving them with no alternative but to reschedule events.

But some of America’s International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Championships hopefuls took their chance to shine in the earlier session, including Ogbe- a representative for Nigeria at the Sydney 2000 Paralympics -  who took the F56-58 men’s shot put title.

It was childhood polio that left his left leg paralyzed but despite that his passion for sports remained intact all through his growing-up years in Nigeria.

Dennis Ogbe is 6-foot-3 when he stands on his right leg, 6-foot-1 when he stands on his left. He walks with a noticeable limp but doesn’t use a wheelchair.

According to the Nigerian, he played football as a goalkeeper and basketball as he perfected his skill in nailing 3-point-shots earning the nickname “Thermo Cool”.

He later learnt about the Paralympics and took up the shot put, discus and javelin.

He makes his throws while leaning against a specially made frame. For the world championships, he trained two hours a day during the week and four hours a day on weekends.

He went on to compete in the International Paralympic World Championships in New Zealand in January and Ogbe finished fourth in his class in the shot put and fourth in the discus. He didn’t compete in the javelin.

After the championship Ogbe commended himself saying finishing fourth was an achievement as he couldn’t train outside during the months preceding the competition because cold weather hurts his paralyzed leg.

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Ogbe, who became a citizen in February 2010, came to Louisville in 2002 after meeting Bellarmine University track and field coach Jim Vargo while competing for Nigeria in the 2000 paralympic games in Australia. Vargo was an assistant track and field coach for the USA team, and he encouraged Ogbe to come to Bellarmine.

During his first year at Bellarmine, Ogbe worked several jobs to pay for his tuition and support himself, including as an interpreter at the gorilla exhibit in the Louisville Zoo. There, he entertained visitors with tales of encounters with gorillas in Nigeria, he said.

After he earned an undergraduate degree in 2006, a chance encounter with a Brown-Forman executive led to him taking an internship there and eventually getting hired full time. Meanwhile, he finished an MBA degree at Bellarmine in 2007.

What he likes most about his work is the people, he said, who are like a family to him. He hopes to work in a managerial position within the next few years, he said, but he thinks the sky is the limit as far as his career goes.