Ndolo is not a typical athlete. The veteran military officer turned model now aspires to defend Africa’s first Olympic gold medal. Few athletes have switched from competing for Germany to Kenya, and Ndolo's unique journey includes trying to perform well enough in Paris to secure funding from Kenyan authorities to continue her career. At 37, she has a lot on her plate as her childhood Olympic dream finally materializes.

As the first Kenyan fencer to compete at the Olympics, she will take it as a serious contender, having won a World Fencing Championships silver medal for Germany in 2022. Just two months later, she stunned many by switching allegiance to Kenya in honour of her late father, who was raised in the East African nation. “I feel like even when it has been hard, he's with me every step of the way,” Ndolo told BBC Sport Africa.

“I don't see it as a burden, I see it as a chance to bring some joy and pride to the continent,” Ndolo said, who won silver and bronze at the 2017 and 2019 European Championships respectively.

Having suffered as a mixed-race girl growing up in Germany, Ndolo is desperate to boost body positivity among the next generation with African roots. “I hope that I will reach an even bigger audience with the Olympics – and that I will inspire not just East African black and brown girls, but black and brown girls all over the world," she added.

Former military veteran, turned-playboy model

Switching to represent Kenya

When Ndolo appeared on the front cover of Playboy's Olympic magazine for Tokyo 2020, she proudly displayed her African roots, marking a significant step in her ongoing journey. In Germany, she is seen as a black woman, but in Kenya, she is often identified as white. She has long struggled with the conflicting beauty standards of these two cultures. “In Kenya, the beauty standard embraces more curves, so I might not be slim enough for the European beauty standards and not curvy enough for the Kenyan beauty standard,” she explained.

The military drills Ndolo undertook over the years helped her adapt to the 2022 switch from the relatively pampered lifestyle of a European athlete to the financial hardships of an African one.

“I left this really strong, secure German support system where basically I just had to come with my bags packed to the airport and everything was ready,” she explained. She added, “It is very different from my situation now because I'm booking everything, with my mum and I paying for 99% of the expenses. There were some nights I was really crying and wondering how to get through the next month.”

Ndolo estimates that qualifying for Paris 2024 has cost at least $50,000 (€38,700), most of which was provided by her mother. “We said she’ll help me until the Olympics, but afterwards things need to change because I can’t keep going like this, you can’t ask your retired parents to pay to raise the Kenyan flag,” she said.

Regardless of whether she medals in Paris, Ndolo is determined to make a lasting impact on Kenyan fencing. “I would like to have a fencing club in every county and want to see fencing in high schools and universities,” she said. She also envisions integrating fencing into the Kenyan army. As a founding member of Kenya’s fencing federation in 2019, Ndolo has played a key role in establishing fencing schools in Nairobi, where some athletes receive scholarships to study coaching in South Africa.