Emmanuel Yeboah (cyclist)
Ghanaian athlete and activist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah is a Ghanaian athlete and disability rights activist from Koforidua. Yeboah was born in 1977[1] with a severely deformed right leg.[2] In 2001, he rode the 400 mi (644 km) across Ghana[1] to bring attention to the plight of disabled people in that country.[2] In the process, he applied for a grant of a bicycle from the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF).[2]
After completing the cross-country trek in Ghana, the CAF invited him to participate in the 2002 Triathlon Challenge in San Diego, CA.[2] During the course of Yeboah's visit, doctors from Loma Linda University Medical Center informed him that he was an excellent candidate for a prosthetic leg.[2] Following a successful surgery and six-week recovery, Yeboah entered the CAF triathlon, reducing his time by 3 hours.[2] Yeboah was subsequently awarded the CAF Most Inspirational Athlete of the Year Award and Nike's Casey Martin award.[2]
Yeboah received approximately $50,000 from those awards. Upon returning to Ghana, he used the money to open the Emmanuel Education Fund for promising students with disabilities.[2][3] In 2005, Yeboah's story was captured in Emmanuel's Gift, narrated by Oprah Winfrey.[2]
Yeboah is the subject of the book Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah by Laurie Ann Thompson.[4][5] The audiobook edition was nominated for the 2022 Odyssey Award.[6]
