Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Akwasi Frimpong, a Utah-based athlete, is aiming for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
- Frimpong, representing Ghana, is currently training with new coach Zach Lund in Park City.
- He seeks Olympic qualification through international points; he will be competing in multiple locations.
PARK CITY — In a sport where every hundredth of a second matters, Akwasi Frimpong is trying to get just a little bit faster.
"Life has been busy, I have to say," said Frimpong. "But training is going well. Super excited to get back on the ice and just get prepared for the season."
Frimpong, who lives in Utah, competed in the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics for his home country of Ghana.
He was an instant fan favorite, with some of the loudest cheers for him after his runs.
Frimpong didn't qualify for the 2022 Beijing Games, but now, he's giving it one last run for the 2026 Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Italy.
"I definitely want to show my competitiveness in the sport," he said. "I want to leave, you know, a legacy behind that you can come from a different country. You can still compete with the best of them; so, I just want to show my best."
Frimpong trains at the Utah Olympic Park in Park City, a world-class facility left from the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games.
This season, Frimpong is getting a little extra help. His new coach, Zach Lund, knows the track well. Lund is from Salt Lake City and competed in skeleton for Team USA during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
"Oh, it's full circle," said Lund with a big smile. "It feels really good. It feels amazing to be giving back to a sport that gave me so much in my life."
Lund said Frimpong embodies what the Olympics are truly about.
"It's the stories. Olympics aren't just about the medals, they're about the stories," he said. "They're about bringing the world together. They're about these stories, and he's that person."
Frimpong, often called "the hope of a billion," for representing an entire continent in a sport not known for its winter athletes, said having Lund's mentorship means everything.
"I get emotional just talking about him," said Frimpong. "He is like a great mentor to me. A good friend who has always been there for me. But more importantly, he knows the right things to say to get me going. So, the mental part is huge to have him be there as well."
The two first met years ago through the sliding community and have stayed in touch ever since. This is the first time Lund has officially coached Frimpong, and he said it feels right.
"It's unmatched. Unparalleled," said Lund. "He is on a whole different level. He's not getting outworked by one person that does this sport. And doing it for a small nation, the odds are stacked against him. He has really built something and done something massive."
For Frimpong, those odds are part of what keeps him motivated.
"There's a lot of reasons. There's a lot of why," said Frimpong. "But I always say that I feel like this is a sport you can get better in. And I feel like, you know, even though I've been competing for nine or 10 years, I started very late, I just want to leave that legacy behind and inspire the next generation of dreamers."
Frimpong said this will be his final Olympic attempt, but he's determined to make it his best.
"We're just going to go all out," he said. "We're going to do the best that we can. We're going to walk with our head (up) proudly that we know that we did the best that we could, and that's what we are shooting for this season."
Since Ghana doesn't have national team trials for skeleton, Frimpong will need to earn his Olympic spot through international qualifying points. He'll compete in Park City, Lake Placid, Whistler and Pyeongchang this winter.
By mid-January, he'll know if he has enough points for his journey to continue just a few weeks later at the 2026 Olympics in Italy.
Either way, his message remains the same as it has always been: Never stop chasing your dream.
