On a humid afternoon in Lagos in 2019, James Taiwo Emmanuel wandered into Yaba College of Technology to visit his twin brother. He wasn’t dressed for sport; the 100-meter oval wasn’t part of his plans. But something about the group of athletes running laps around the track pulled him in. He had never considered himself an athlete; he didn’t even run in high school, but curiosity made him linger. “In my head, I was like, this thing can make me fit,” he remembers with a laugh. What began as a casual thought became the turning point that would carry him from modelling runways to sprinting blocks, from posing for fashion weeks to chasing Olympic dreams.

Ekpo Africa’s debut digital issue cover star, better known as JT Emmanuel, straddles two worlds rarely linked in Nigeria: high fashion and elite athletics. In 2018, he launched his modelling career alongside his twin, John Ken Emmanuel, walking runways and appearing in campaigns. Just a year later, he was lacing up spikes, drawn by a sport he barely understood but quickly fell in love with.

The transition wasn’t smooth. Modelling offered visibility, access, and glamour, the kind of exposure that made it difficult to imagine leaving.

I wasn’t ready to give away the life I was getting from modelling, he admits. But I knew athletics was what I wanted to do, so I had to let go.

The sacrifice was real: moving away from his twin brother, who had been his constant companion, to train and commit fully to the track.

That shift also came with doubt from others. In his early days on the track, Emmanuel recalls hearing whispers that he was just a “fine boy” who would eventually fade away. Instead of discouraging him, those words became fuel for him. He embraced the label, turning it into a personal brand: The Fine Boy Athlete (FBA).

People thought I wouldn’t last, but I used that name as motivation. Now, I own it.

His modelling background, far from being a distraction, has given him a distinct advantage. Fashion taught him poise, health consciousness, and the art of confidence, traits that have helped him on the track. Still, Emmanuel is quick to point out the difference between the two worlds. “I can wake up and walk a runway, no stress. But athletics? You have to be mentally and physically strong. You can lose a race in your head before it even starts.”

Where modelling was about presentation and effortless elegance, sprinting demands discipline, grit, and sacrifice. Emmanuel has learned to embrace both identities, carrying fashion’s flair into the rigour of sport.” “Everything about me is fashion,” he says, “so even when I’m chasing medals, I’m still representing that side of me.”

Now, his sights are firmly set on the global stage. He dreams of climbing the Olympic podium, of hearing the anthem play with gold around his neck. But Emmanuel doesn’t see this ambition as separate from his fashion career. For him, both pursuits are part of a larger story: identity, representation, and the freedom to choose paths outside the expected.

His message to young Nigerians is simple, but powerful:

Follow your dream. You’ve seen the picture so many times in your head, don’t let anyone else paint it for you. Greatness takes time, but one day, you’ll get there.

The clearest picture of who JT Emmanuel is comes from the moments in between. On the runway, he once described Fashion Week as a kind of vacation, a chance to wear clothes he might never own, and enjoy the moment. On the track, he describes racing as a mental battle, one he’s learning to master. Both worlds collide in the figure of a young man who refuses to choose between them, instead redefining what it means to be seen, represented, and remembered.

On that day in Yaba, he had only come to see his twin brother. He left with a new obsession, one that continues to shape his story. Years later, the memory still lingers. “I didn’t even think athletics was a sport,” Emmanuel says. “But once I started training, it just felt right.”

And just like that, what began as an accident became a destiny, one that now stands boldly on the cover of Ekpo Africa’s debut issue.