Oshonaike writes on her struggles and challenges in a long and revealing Facebook post.
Nigerian tennis star Funke Oshonaike has revealed that she was sexually abused as a child and suffered heartbreak just before she competed at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sidney.
Oshonaike is regarded as one of the best Nigerian tennis players of her generation and has represented Nigeria at five Olympic Games.
She has six All Africa Games gold medals to her name.
But before she found success in tennis, the 42-year-old passed through some trying times when she was sexually assaulted and also heartbroken by a cheating boyfriend.
Oshonaike's revelations
“I was physically, sexually, emotionally and mentally abused by a man that was 10yrs older than me,” Oshonaike wrote in a long and revealing Facebook post.
“This man beat me ooo for more than 3 yrs and I remembered always going to Unilag with a battered face but I still never gave up on TT , men or living. That was my decision.”
She competed at the 2000 Sydney Olympics where she failed to progress past the first round. In her Facebook post, Oshonaike also revealed that she suffered a heartbreak before the Games.
“I went to see my boyfriend of 10yrs relationship and I saw him sleeping in a bed with her girlfriend! I was heartbroken,” she also wrote.
“The next day I had to travel to Australia, Sydney 2000. I cried all the way from Nigeria to Australia but I never gave up on men and my training. That was my decision”
Also in her post, Oshonaike gave details of her growing up and the many challenges she overcame before she started representing Nigeria at the age of 14.
She revealed that she was punished when she ran of school in Primary six to play tennis and was booed every time she played a competition in Nigeria.
“I cried a lot ,went through a lot, and there was even a time the crowd was going to stab me in Lagós because I defeated there darling biola odumosu my arch rival back then at Rowe park,” she also said.
“My Nos 1 fan, my dad consoled me and still never gave up on table tennis in nigeria. My decision.”
The tennis star also recalled when she played and won the African Championship even while seven-month pregnant and also continued to win medal few months after giving birth.
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