Kindness wins as Akwasi Frimpong is reunited with cherished skeleton helmet
Find out how the Ghanaian Olympian used the power of human kindness to be reunited with his one-of-a-kind item, which was stolen from outside his house last week.
Skeleton
It was about time skeleton athlete Akwasi Frimpong got some luck.
After missing out on qualification for Beijing 2022 due to contracting COVID at the eleventh hour, the Ghanaian had his bag stolen from in front of his house in Utah on Monday (28 March). He had just returned from a training camp in Canada, and in the rush to see his kids left the bag in his driveway, where it was subsequently pinched.
Among the items inside were his phone, passport, and something far more priceless: his bespoke Black Panther helmet.
Frimpong’s misfortune quickly went viral when he posted the story on his social media channels, appealing for help. It was even picked up and shared on local TV.
But on Sunday (3 April), kindness won.
A member of the public had purchased the helmet, not knowing the illicit means through which it was procured.
After seeing Frimpong’s story on TV, he immediately got in touch and reunited the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympian with his cherished item.
After becoming Ghana’s first-ever skeleton Olympian in 2018, Frimpong decided to switch his competition wardrobe up.
The Black Panther movie had just come out, and he was inspired to create a Black Panther-themed sliding suit for the 2018-19 season.
He felt it perfectly encapsulated his core message of wanting to inspire the continent of Africa, and, as he told the Olympic Channel Podcast, to 'Never give up'.
We chatted to him about how the suit actually came to life, and discovered the intricate skills it took from two different artists. You can see that below.