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Emmy Nominated Actress Janeshia Adams-Ginyard uses athletic background to push barriers

An athlete’s dream is to reach the pinnacle of their sport and dominate the competition. Many athletes struggle with what to do after they have reached their goals, but

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Versatility is the name of the game

By Caleb Pugh | OW Reporter

An athlete’s dream is to reach the pinnacle of their sport and dominate the competition. Many athletes struggle with what to do after they have reached their goals, but Janeshia Adams-Ginyard simply progressed from one career to another.

Adams-Ginyard’s career in sports started at a young age when she would go to the track and run around with her mom and twin sister.

“We would go there every morning because my mom liked walking the track, and I would always see this girl running the track, and I approached her and asked why she is always running the track,” Adams-Ginyard said. “Once she told me, I told my mom that’s what I wanted to do, and it took some time, but I started my track career at eight years old.”

Adams-Ginyard went on to have an illustrious career in track and field, where she became CIF champion in the 300 hurdles event, a state finalist in the hurdles event, and a record-owning 300m hurdles at Gahr High School.

These achievements led to Adams-Ginyard running Track and Field at the UC Berkeley, where she competed in the Pac 10 Conference. After college, Ginyard competed on the 2006-2007 U.S. National Bobsled Team as a brakeman, she was also a wrestler for WOW( Women Of Wrestling), where she played Frost the Olympian based on her experience as a bobsledder.

Adams-Ginyard was an actress landing athletic and jock roles which led to opportunities for stunt work.

“I was doing sports modeling and worked with Nike, and while on set, I was hired as a jock because of my athletics,” Adams-Ginyard said, explaining how her athletics career prepared her for the future. “It just made sense, I look like an athlete, and it’s not something I have to fake.

Adams-Ginyard performances started getting the attention of a fan-favorite movie franchise. Marvel.

Adams-Ginyard’s performance led to her acting in one of the biggest films of 2018.

“I got a contact for an audition notice to be an actor on ‘Black Panther,’” Adams-Ginyard said.

“This was my first Marvel audition as an actress, and after I did my scene and showcased different kicks I learned from my taekwondo classes, I was contacted by the stunts team two weeks later.”

Adams-Ginyard went on to have several auditions before reprising her role of Nomble.

Adams-Ginyard then worked with an actor that inspired her, pushing her skills even further.

“No matter what the challenges were, Chadwick was always ready to work and give it his all.” Adams-Ginyard said, talking about her experience working with Chadwick Boseman and the impact he left on her. “He was a professional, kind, generous, and treated everybody with the same love and respect no matter their title.”

Boseman passed away in 2020 after his battle with cancer. Adams-Ginyard decided to honor Boseman at the “Black Panther 2 Wakanda Forever,” premiere by wearing body paint. She also got Boseman’s face painted on her back, which reminded everyone how impactful Boseman was, not only for Black Panther, but for Marvel fans around the world.

Adams-Ginyard has since returned to film as a stunt performer in the movie “Missing,” now in theaters, where she plays the double of actress Nia Long.

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