OREM, Utah – Former Utah Valley University track & field student-athlete Akwasi Frimpong is now enjoying success after college as an entrepreneur and an Olympic athlete in the sport of skeleton. Learn more about Frimpong's Olympic journey in this week's Wolverine Club Scholar Feature.
 
Frimpong, who grew up in Kumasi, Ghana and Amsterdam, Netherlands, came to UVU in 2008 on an athletic scholarship on the track & field team. He would go on to become one of the team's top sprinters and break numerous school records during his collegiate career (2008-13). He also helped the UVU men's track & field team win back-to-back-to-back-to-back Great West Conference outdoor championships during his time in Orem. 
 
Frimpong, who too excelled in the classroom at UVU and earned multiple Great West Conference All-Academic honors, received his bachelor's degree in marketing with a business management minor from Utah Valley University in 2013. 
 
Since graduation, Frimpong has competed for both of his home nations—Ghana and the Netherlands—at the World level in the sports of bobsleigh and skeleton. While competing for the Netherlands in bobsled, his team just missed out on qualifying for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. But instead of giving up on his Olympic dream there, Frimpong persevered and spent countless hours training to qualify for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in South Korea in the sport of skeleton for Ghana. In doing so, he became the first black male skeleton athlete to qualify and compete at the Olympics from the continent of Africa and the first individual from Ghana and West Africa to compete in the sport of skeleton.
 
Frimpong, who earlier this year became the first African athlete to win a skeleton race at the USA Western Regional competition in Park City, now has his sights set on becoming the first African athlete to win a Winter Olympic medal as he continues to train for the 2022 Winter Olympics Games that will be held in Beijing.
 
Not just an Olympian, Frimpong is also an entrepreneur, as he is the co-founder of Frimpong Sportswear—a sportswear clothing company suited for men and women to cater to their specific athletic needs—as well as the owner and president of Golden Events Management LLC—an event planning, online marketing, brand management and direct-sales organization focused on events and brands for youth and direct-sales companies. 
 
Join the Wolverine Club to support future Wolverine Olympians like Akwasi Frimpong.
 
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ABOUT THE WOLVERINE CLUB
Founded in 1987, the mission of the Wolverine Club is to directly support over 300 Utah Valley University student-athlete scholarships in all 16 NCAA Division I varsity sports. Through philanthropic donations, The Wolverine Club ensures each UVU student-athlete is provided the necessary resources to compete, graduate and contribute to the community. Your gift, no matter how big or small, makes a difference in the lives of the student-athletes at Utah Valley University. Every athletic donor becomes a member of the Wolverine Club and Utah Valley University Athletics family with an annual donation.