Oxford University Press includes Olympian Akwasi Frimpong's story in English textbook

Frimpong will appear in the Headway Upper Intermediate Student’s Book, a textbook aimed to teach English Language and Speaking, as the focus of one of the book’s exercises.

Akwasi Frimpong, Ghana’s first Skeleton Olympian, is writing a new chapter in his mission to be the Hope of a Billion.

“Headway always strives to provide interesting and authentic texts, using thought-provoking and inspirational stories from real people,” says Headway Managing Editor Keith Layfield. “We are grateful to feature such an inspirational character as Akwasi, and hope students throughout the world are inspired by it.”

Headway and its award-winning authors, Liz and John Soars, are names that have become synonymous with English Language teaching and learning. Headway’s perfectly-balanced grammar and skills syllabus, based on the course’s world-renowned methodology, has made it one of the most successful English language teaching coursebooks of all time and is used throughout the world.

Frimpong knows what it is like to need to work to improve one’s life. He spent the first eight years of his life in Ghana being raised by his grandmother, who also cared for his brother and eight other cousins, in a room 4 x 5 meters with water leaking down from the roof. He wants to use his visibility as an Olympic athlete to not just become the Hope of a Billion people in Africa, but the Hope of every underdog. His goal is to show the world that hard work and dedication will allow anyone to be anything they want to be in life.

“Being part of something bigger then myself is the kind of legacy I’d like to leave behind,” Frimpong says. “I believe that the greatest rewards come when you give of yourself.”

“It’s about bettering the lives of others. It’s about giving Hope. I’m grateful I got to do that by chasing my Olympic dreams, telling my story of trials and triumphs and now being included in an educational textbook that will inspire kids to never give up, believe in themselves, challenge the status quo and dare to dream.”

Headway is published by The Oxford University Press (‘OUP’) which is a department of the internationally acclaimed University of Oxford. OUP is the world’s largest university press with the widest global presence. "For more than 500 years, we’ve been sharing new thinking and ideas in our publishing, furthering the university’s mission of excellence in scholarship, research, and education," said an OUP spokesperson.