A reluctant adoptee of the sport, the 25-year-old hopes to fly the Nigerian flag high when squash makes its Olympic debut at LA28 in three years’ time

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Growing up in the Nigerian port city of Lagos, Onaopemipo was exposed to many mainstream sports through the youth programs offered at the Unilag Sports Centre.

And while basketball and tennis called to the young athlete, it was ultimately squash where he found his forever home, even if he was – to put it mildly – reluctant to try the sport.

“I didn’t like squash,” admitted the current Nigerian No. 1. “I told my brother, ‘I don’t like this game. You guys just fight against the wall. There’s nothing best in it.’”

But like any reasonable brother, he eventually caved to his sibling’s prodding.

“After some time, I tried squash with my brother and I loved it,” continued squash’s self-proclaimed ‘smiling assassin.’

“Then in my first-ever tournament, I made it to the semis, and I said to myself, ‘I think I have a talent here.’ So since then, I’ve been playing squash.”

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