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Annette Echikunwoke
Grind Before You Shine

The Journey

7
Full Episodes
7th
In the World
Chasing Goals

Follow Annette Echikunwoke’s a meter-by-meter journey toward her goals— the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games and beyond. She pushes past her limits and teaches us a valuable lesson: we can all break through our boundaries. Do the work, get the reward. Grind before you shine.

Breaking Records

Annette threw four successive Nigerian and African records in the hammer throw, setting the mark at 75.49 meters at the USATF to earn a spot on the Nigerian Olympic team. Annette is ranked #7 in the world in the women’s hammer throw.

Episode 1

When the 2020 Olympics were canceled, athletes had to “dust themselves off” and move forward. Annette seized the opportunity to train harder, attempting to represent Nigeria in the Hammer Throw competition.

A unique mix of humility and strength, Annette brings world-class determination to her work at Empower as a Search Associate. And she’s unassuming enough to be embarrassed by a statement like that.

Episode 1
Episode 2

She makes it look easy.
It is not.

Watch Olympic hopeful, Annette Echikunwoke, put former athletes to the test. In Hammer Throw, it’s less about how strong you are or how much endurance you have. Technical mastery sets you apart from the competition.

Episode 2
Episode 3

The daily grind is real.

Some days you face a bump in the road— some days it’s a roadblock. Watch Annette Echikunwoke find out if the twist of an ankle becomes a twist of fate for her journey toward the Olympic trials in Nigeria.

Episode 3
Episode 4

It’s more than a name.

Learn what fires Annette Echikunwoke up, and what gives her strength to continue her record-breaking progress. She’s ready to compete on the world stage… and change the world while she’s at it.

Episode 4
Episode 5

The connection is deep.

Travel with Annette Echikunwoke to Nigeria, her family’s home of origin. See the unique trials surrounding the 2021 Olympic trials as Annette inches closer to a chance to compete in Tokyo.

Episode 5
Episode 6

A champion’s heart endures.

Annette’s trip to the Tokyo Olympics didn’t go the way anyone expected. But her determination teaches us that despite unimaginable setbacks, we must dust ourselves off and keep chasing our Olympic-sized dreams.

Episode 6
Episode 7

Follow the triumphant highs and torturous lows of a journey to fulfill Olympic-sized dreams. Learn how Annette Echikunwoke, Nigerian-American hammer thrower and Empower Search Specialist, “dusts herself off” to forgive and find meaning beyond the strength of her training.

Episode 7

Let Annette inspire you the way she inspires us. Pick up today’s heaviness and throw it as far as you can.

Not everyone can be an Olympic hopeful.
But we can all be full of hope.