“I traded pins in the Paris Olympics with Coco Gauff,” Ogbogu says of her favourite pin with a beaming smile. “That was crazy. It’s a USA tennis one, but physically exchanging it with her was really, really cool. That was the highlight for me. And I also got a Simone Biles GOAT pin, which also was really cool.”
Among Ogbogu’s assortment are the highly sought-after Netherlands clogs, a mini pair of traditional Dutch klomps proving one of the hardest pins to acquire in Paris.
“I held on to that one for dear life,” she laughs, before adding, “There’s so many little Olympic experiences that sound so normal or weird to the outside world. But in it, it’s such a euphoric feeling trading pins. I was on a mission for certain pins – I failed to get a Nigerian pin. I’m still so devastated by it to this day.
“I’m on a mission to get a Nigerian pin, so I think I should probably go to another [Games] just to get that. I would hope that in LA if I were very fortunate to go, I would be on a mission at that point. I would be staked outside the Nigerian building begging people for a pin.”
Indeed, Ogbogu has a chance to go to her third Olympics and participate at a home Games, when LA 2028 takes place in Los Angeles, USA from 14-30 July 2028.
With the rapid rise of volleyball in the States, coupled with the golden era of the U.S. women’s national team, it is an opportunity that no one wants to miss out on.
“I am focused on the here and now, but I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t thinking about LA all the time,” Ogbogu concludes. “It’s such an exciting thing to think about hosting an Olympics. I’ve been a fan of watching the Olympics for so long, so to think of having one in your backyard that even more family and friends can attend is so enticing. Whether I will be there or not as an athlete, I will be there regardless.”
Ogbogu is certain that the City of Angels will see her – whether in pursuit of a medal, a pin or both.