3 hours ago Barry O’Connor“I love having a little brother who is competitive, because it makes me competitive,” she said. BBC/Hungry Bear Media Ltd/Graeme Hunter “It gives me an advantage because if you have a little brother, no one can offend you as much as he could.But Cyclone had other ideas.An Irish Gladiator has said […]
Barry O’Connor“I love having a little brother who is competitive, because it makes me competitive,” she said.
BBC/Hungry Bear Media Ltd/Graeme Hunter
“It gives me an advantage because if you have a little brother, no one can offend you as much as he could.But Cyclone had other ideas.An Irish Gladiator has said she hopes her appearance on the hit show will inspire other women to “take up space and be unapologetic about it”.“That’s why standing up on that podium during ‘Duel’ was a key standout moment.
Growing up in Ireland
“Straight-talking and that dark feminine energy, the seriousness when it comes to competition is huge.
BBC/Hungry Bear Media Ltd/Graeme Hunter
“I was always inside studying, and my brother was outside playing soccer; he was the sporty one, and I was the academic one,” she said.Her brother Festy Ebosle plays football for Turkish club Istanbul Başakşehir and the Republic of Ireland national team.“I am an athlete, and the energy I bring to competing and on gladiators is very similar.”“Cyclone is very straight-talking very confident – the confidence is not a character, it’s just me,” she told BBC News NI.“When the original series came out, I wasn’t even born. I had never even heard of it; didn’t know what it was,” she said.Making her debut on the show in the second episode, Cyclone certainly left her mark.It wasn’t until she told people she was taking part that she realised how big the show is.“I’m not here to blend in – I’m here to dominate.”At 23 years old, powerlifter Lystus Ebosele, better known as Cyclone, is one of the youngest Gladiators on the rebooted series.After defeating contenders Nikki and Keeva in the ‘Duel’, host Bradley Walsh asked her to come down from the podium.
“We had good genetics – me and my brother were always bigger than everyone else and ate lots of food. I treated PE as the Olympics.”
“Especially being a new gladiator, it was so important to solidify this new character and not get lost with the other 17 gladiators. So it was really important to make an impact,” she said.
Rapping and seriousness
“I’m going to stay right here; bring on the next contender,” she said causing a strong reaction from the audience.
‘Here to dominate’
But she does say that she was more academic than sporty growing up and wanted to be a surgeon.
“The game’s already over before it happens.”But something switched for her when she went to college: “I made a major flip, moved to Dublin, and fell in love with fitness.”Reflecting on that moment, she said: “One thing that is really important for my character is just showing women you can take up space and be unapologetic about it.“So many of my friends’ parents grew up watching it. People just loved the show.”While the Gladiators on-screen portray strong personalities and incredible strength, Lystus said they are “just an extension” of the athletes own personalities.BBC News NI“Cyclone is a force of nature, definitely epitomises a cyclone. If you get caught in one, you’re not getting out,” Lystus told BBC News NI.Lystus grew up in a sporting family in County Wexford.
BBC/Hungry Bear Media Ltd/Graeme Hunter
BBC/Hungry Bear Media Ltd/Graeme Hunter
BBC / Nick Eagle / © Hungry Bear Media Ltd
