A T H L S T

Have you ever heard of the Bell-Gam twins? Judy and Bella were twin sisters who won multiple gold, silver and bronze medals for Nigeria at international competitions, including the All-Africa Games and the African Athletic Championships in the late 1970s. 📸: Spear magazine

In 1958, Violet Odogwu was just 16, the youngest of eight women who became the first female athletes to represent Nigeria at the Commonwealth Games. She was called the “baby of the team.” Her promising career nearly ended in 1959 when a serious knee injury kept her out for four years. A correct diagnosis in 1963 reignited her ambitions, bringing her back to Nigeria to resume her track career. Three years later, Violet became the first African woman to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games, taking bronze in the long jump in Jamaica. In 1968, she captained Nigeria’s women’s athletics team at the Olympics, reaching the long jump final. For this collaboration with @athlst, we dug into the archives to spotlight the women like Violet who laid the foundation for today’s superstars.