Olympians sing God’s praises

An Olympic gold medallist has praised God by singing a Christian song in her post-event interview.

Yemisi Ogunleye became Olympic champion for Germany by achieving 20 metres in the women’s shot put final in Paris.

In an interview, she explained how she knelt to God in prayer before her winning throw and said her faith was “the source of my peace and the source of my joy”.

Winning throw

The interviewer asked Ogunleye, who sings in a church gospel choir, what song she was thinking about during the competition.

She answered by singing verses from ‘I Almost Let Go’, explaining that she sang it after a discouraging fall in her penultimate throw.

Words from the song include:

“The devil really had me,
But Jesus came and grabbed me,
And he held me close, so I wouldn’t let go,
God’s mercy kept me so I wouldn’t let go”.

Witness

The 25-year-old held up a sign to the cameras during the competition saying: “You are loved, John 3.16”

Her Instagram bio says “Not I, but Jesus in me.” She uses the platform to post about her faith alongside photos of her sporting achievements.

Yemisi’s father is Nigerian, and during another interview she sang a Yoruba song which translates: “Thank you God, Thank you Father”.

Worship

In a video from Paris 24 that went viral on social media, the Fijian team could be seen gathering in the Olympic village for morning worship.

The athletes, coaches and staff sang a Fijian hymn which begins:

“Lean on Jesus today,
Lean on him, upon the cross.
If you’re weary, poor, then come.
Jesus is calling you to come.”

Witnessing the event, Australian Olympian Matilda Kearns shared: “It’s so beautiful, everyone’s come outside to hear it”.

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