Johnny was born and raised in Britain to British mother and Nigerian father, but he now competes for Nigeria. He gave up his place at the top of British canoe rankings and is now Nigeria's first Olympic slalom canoeist, after beating the Beijing 2008 bronze medalist in a race-off. Johnny Akinyemi now competes for Nigeria, although he says he is proud to be Nigerian and British as well. .
Akinyemi has lived and trained in the town of Warrington all his life, and visited Nigeria for the first time in 2007 and quickly realized that slalom canoeing meant nothing to most Nigerians. He found a common ground with his faith, which he says is the foundation of his life. He went to church while in Nigeria and admits that it was pretty intense, especially Nigeria's loud and vibrant form of worship.
Akinyemi says he was worried if he would be accepted in Nigeria, but says he was welcomed with open arms. He considers himself privileged that he is allowed to be part of the Nigerian Olympic team.
He was recently featured on CNN's African Voices. Check out the video:
