 Abeda in 2021 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Native name | Shannon Woldai Ogbnai |
| Citizenship |
|
| Born | 15 May 1996 Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada[1][2] |
| Years active | 2011–2018, 2021-2022, 2023-Present |
| Height | 5'10 (1.78m) |
| Weight | 90 kg (198 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Country | Eritrea |
| Sport | Alpine skiing, Ski Cross |
| Coached by | Helmut Spiegl, Ryley Remme & Cristiano Rogério Paes |
| Retired | 2022 (Hiatus) |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Olympic finals | 3 – 2012 Winter Youth, 2018, 2022 |
Shannon-Ogbnai Abeda (born 15 May 1996[3]) is an Eritrean-Canadian alpine skier and Ski Cross athlete. Abeda competed for Eritrea at the 2018 Winter Olympics in the alpine skiing events. Abeda became the first athlete to compete for Eritrea at the Winter Olympics.[4] He finished 61st in the giant slalom event in 2018, did not finish the first run of the slalom event and finished 39th at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Abeda's parents fled the Eritrean War of Independence in the 1980s and emigrated to Canada.[5] Abeda also represented the country at the inaugural Winter Youth Olympics in 2012 in Innsbruck, Austria.[6] Abeda originally announced his intentions to take the 2018/2019 season off and attend university after the 2018 Winter Olympic Games however announced his retirement and change to bobsleigh. He hinted that he would return for the 2022 Winter Olympics games, but also at the possibility of retirement.[7] In 2021, his FIS status indicated that he competed in two races in April 2021 confirming his return to Alpine and in September 2021, he officially came out of retirement and announced his intentions to qualify for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.[8] On December 21, 2021, Abeda qualified for the 2022 Winter Olympics; shortly after his event, he announced his retirement from Alpine skiing. However, as of 2023, his FIS license is active, and he has stated on his social media that he would return for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
- ^ Rieger, Sarah (28 December 2017). "Calgary skier headed to Winter Olympics... but not with Team Canada". CBC News. Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
- ^ Phillips, Curtis J. (3 January 2018). "McMurray-born skiier [sic] first to represent Eritrea at Winter Olympics". Fort McMurray Today. Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. Archived from the original on 9 January 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
- ^ FIS Biography
- ^ "Alpine Skiing Quota List for Olympic Games 2018". www.data.fis-ski.com/. International Ski Federation (FIS). 5 December 2017. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
- ^ Clarke, Wendy-Ann (21 December 2017). "Eritrea's first Winter Olympian is from Alberta". www.cbc.ca/sports/. CBC Sports. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
- ^ "Shannon Abeda Vying to Represent Eritrea at the 2018 Winter Games". TesfaNews. 8 February 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
- ^ Ward, Rachel (23 February 2019). "Eritrean athlete from Alberta 'really happy' to be an Olympian". www.cbc.ca/news/. CBC. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
- ^ "Instagram". instagram.com/. 11 September 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.