'Saved by boxing': Nigeria's Cynthia Ogunsemilore on her journey from being mocked for fighting to seeking Olympic glory
The 60kg boxer was one of three Nigerians who earned quotas for Paris 2024 at the Africa Boxing Qualifier in Dakar in September. She shared with Olympics.com her difficult journey growing up in the tough neighborhood of Bariga in Lagos, and how she kept punching to save herself and her family.
Boxing
Cynthia Ogunsemilore found boxing by mistake.
She had a scrawny physique, nowhere near athletic, and was written off many times, not least by herself.
Coming from Bariga, a notorious tough neighbourhood in Nigeria's Lagos State, a hotspot for street fights and gang conflicts, most of her life was a fight of its own.
Poverty, hunger, and frustrations dogged her and her four siblings.
At the age of 12, she began boxing.
With her father’s approval, Ogunsemilore kept fighting, urged on by her coach, fighting back prejudices, hitting every taunt with a punch.
“I am from Bariga, and boxers from there [believe] that they don’t have futures, they are like touts. Since I started boxing, everything has been hard for me. But as a Bariga girl, I am rugged, I won’t quit,” she told Olympics.com amid tears of joy and pain, at the **2023 Africa Boxing Qualifiers. **
Boxing was a welcome escape from her difficult upbringing and surroundings.
She believes the sport, as cliché as it may sound, saved her.
“It’s not easy being a female boxer in Bariga. The men would tell me, ‘You are supposed to go get married, but you are here training, you should go have a baby or find some serious work." - Cynthia Ogunsemilore to Olympics.com
"So many blamed my father for putting me in boxing. I often said, 'what a man can do, a woman can do better'.”
The 21-year-old was unbeaten at the Africa Boxing Qualifiers in Dakar, where the Nigerian earned a Paris 2024 Olympic quota in the women’s 60kg.
A career high after years of punching above her weight.
Cynthia Ogunsemilore on finding stability in the ring
Ogunsemilore came from the bottom.
The third born of five grew up in a majorly slum area in the Lagos state known for clashes and gang conflict. Though she was surrounded by fights most of her life, she never imagined herself in a combat environment.
When a local coach, Tajudeen Kassim, suggested she try boxing, there were mixed feelings. Her dad hoped the ring would offer her some stability after a difficult childhood, while the coach saw an opportunity to mould the teen into one of the most exciting talents in Nigeria.
“My coach told my dad, ‘give me this girl, let me train her’. My dad said, ‘but she is too small’. I also thought I was too small. But after seeing other girls in training, I told myself and my coach, ‘I can do it!’” she recalled of her early days in the ring in an interview with Olympics.com in Dakar.
That moment also ignited the Olympic fire in her.
“That’s when I had in my plan and my dreams, something I had been hearing a lot, the Olympics.”
Female boxing was growing in the populous African nation, but women rarely commanded respect in and out of the ring.
As the young teen’s passion for boxing deepened, so did the pressure to achieve some success for the young teen. The conditions at home were tough, sometimes desperate.
The 'no quit' mindset that she’d built over the years was often tested.
“There are times that I would try to quit… I was blaming my coach that he's not doing anything [to advance] my boxing career.”
“But it’s because of my family too… We were just surviving, managing ourselves,” she continued as her voice trails off as she breaks down in tears.
“My sisters and I… we struggle to feed my family. I wanted to be the one that will take them from poverty. I know with time everything will be fine.”
Nigeria's Cynthia Ogunsemilore competes against Algeria's Khelif Hadjila in the women's 60kg at the Africa Boxing Qualifier in Dakar.
An unbeaten run in the paid ranks
The teenage talent turned to the professional boxing ranks, driven by the needs at home.
She was unbeaten in her seven featherweight bouts, but still felt she hadn’t achieved her limit in the ring.
Ogunsemilore went ahead to earn her place in the Nigerian team.
But even the bronze at the 2022 Commonwealth Games did little to prove herself as one of her nation’s rising talents.
“After the Commonwealth Games, I said, 'if my country should call me for the Olympics Qualifier, I was sure I would qualify.'
"And after winning the Trials I promised that I would come here not to play but to qualify and show that I am not the type of girl they thought I was and that there are people from Bariga that are good and talented.”
Securing an Olympic qualification berth as a finalist in her weight category was a thrill of her lifetime.
“I had it in my dreams that I wanted to go to the Olympics, and I wanted to be an Olympian….but you know, I always thought I would just be picked and go to the Olympics direct. Not knowing that I was going to face some challenges in and out of the ring.”
Cynthia Ogunsemilore reacts after winning her 60kg final against Algeria's Khelif Hadjila at the Africa Boxing Qualifiers in Dakar.
Cynthia Ogunsemilore on becoming the second Nigerian woman to qualify for the Olympics
She was unbeaten in Dakar after winning the final against Algerian Khelif Hadjila, performances that went above and beyond her own expectations.
“I’m very proud of myself… I did it! I did it...,” Ogunsemilore continued in the interview with Olympics.com through chocking tears.
“This is the time for me to shine. This is the time for me to be the world champion, for people to know me. This is the time my name, my family name, will ring…. I'm very happy with it. I'm so excited. I was here to conquer everyone and be the best.”
“This win is going to change a lot in my life, and in my family's life.”
She is the second Nigerian woman to earn a qualification spot for an Olympics, after Edith Ogoke at London 2012.
“In Paris, I now believe I can be the Olympic champion. I will go back home and train even harder.”
She wishes her success in the pursuit of Olympic glory can inspire hundreds of female boxers in Nigeria and across Africa.
“I know girls watching and following me, following us female boxers, can motivate them to put more effort. Keep training, keep working, and with time everything will be fine.”
Ogunsemilore was one of three Nigerians who earned Paris 2024 Qualifying quota spots in Dakar**.**
Joshua Omole grabbed a berth in the men’s 57kg, while Adam Olaore secured a quota in the men’s 92kg.
As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.
Click here to see the official qualification system for each sport.