Dylan Bettencourt
Odile Ahouanwanou dreamed of being a football player but the lack of investment in the sport in Benin forced her to take up athletics.
The 31-year-old is set to fight for a gold medal at the World Athletics Championships but it could have been so different for the reigning African champion.
“I started playing football when I was very young because I have older brothers and cousins who played. We had a big yard at home so we always played football,” she told BBC Sport Africa.
“I was the captain of my club for years and I played for the Benin national team, but I was disappointed with football because of the politics in Benin.”
The development of women’s football in Benin was nowhere near the standard required for players to become professional.
“Women’s football was not what I expected. As a result, I had to withdraw a little from professional football,” she explained.
Ahouanwanou said she still played football for fun but then she started showing signs of talent in athletics.
“I would often beat everyone but I just couldn’t see myself in athletics until one day in 2007 when I became the Benin national champion in the high jump and everything changed,” she said.
Heptathlon contains several different track and field events such as the 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200m race, long jump, javelin and lastly, an 800m race.
Points are awarded for each event that are then tallied up at the very end to decide an overall winner.
Ahouanwanou became the first person from her country to win a gold medal at the African Championships when she emerged victorious in 2018.
She retained her title in Mauritius last month.
But despite being African champion, Ahouanwanou feels she still has a lot to learn.
“I learned to jog, to stand tall and I learned the techniques. I learned a lot and I continue to learn. That’s my strength. And now, I’m progressing day by day and I’m proud of that,” she said.
Image source: @BeninWebTV
