Egonu was born in Cittadella, Italy, to Nigerian parents.[4][5] She has two siblings, Angela and Andrea, and a cousin, Terry Enweonwu, who also plays volleyball.[6][7] She received Italian citizenship at age fourteen.[8]
She was awarded the prize for Woman of the Year 2019 by D - la Repubblica delle donne, a weekly magazine of La Repubblica.[9]
Career
National team
Egonu began playing for the Italian national team in 2015. That year, she led Italy's junior teams to gold at the U18 World Championship, where she was named MVP of the tournament, and bronze at the U20 World Championship.[10] At age 17, she participated in the 2016 Summer Olympics, where she placed ninth overall with her team.[11]
In 2018, Egonu helped her team win silver at the 2018 World Championship in Japan; she finished the tournament with 324 points in 13 matches, averaging nearly 25 points per match, and a new record of 45 points scored in a match during Italy's semifinals match against China.[12]
At the 2020 Summer Olympics, Egonu was a flag-bearer during the Opening Ceremony.[12] Italy placed sixth after losing to Serbia in the quarterfinals.[13]
In 2022, Egonu and the Italian national team earned Italy's first-ever medal at the Volleyball Nations League, where they won gold. Egonu was the leading scorer of the finals, amassing a total of 83 points over three matches. She was named Most Valuable Player and Best Opposite of the tournament.[14]
Egonu took a break from playing with Italy's national team due to racism she experienced in Italy and on social media.[8] She returned to playing with Italy in 2024 under new coach Julio Velasco.[15] That year, Egonu led Italy to repeat its 2022 performance at the Volleyball Nations League, where she once again earned MVP. At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Italy won its first-ever gold medal, with Egonu being named MVP and Best Opposite.[16][17]
In August 2024, a newly-unveiled mural of Egonu near to the Italian National Olympic Committee headquarters in Rome was defaced, with Egonu's skin repainted pink and an anti-racism message obscured. Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani described the vandalism as a "serious gesture of vulgar racism", while Roberto Gualtieri, the Mayor of Rome, said it was "a vile insult to a great Italian, who has brought the colours of our country to the top of the world, and to an artist committed to fighting against xenophobia."[18]
Professional clubs
At the club level, Egonu has primarily played in Italian clubs; she played for Club Italia in 2015, AGIL Novara from 2017 to 2019, and Imoco Volley Conegliano from 2019 to 2022. She spent the 2022–2023 season playing for Turkish club VakifBank before returning to Italy to play for Vero Volley Milano in 2023.[19] With AGIL Novara, Egonu earned a CEV Champions League title, two Italian Cups, and one Super Cup. She won the Club World Championship with Imoco Volley in 2019 and the CEV Champions League in 2023 with Vakifbank.[12][20]
As of 2024, Egonu holds women's volleyball records for highest jump, fastest serve, and fastest spike.[21]
In other media
In 2020, she dubbed the character Dreamerwind (Italian: Sognaluna Dibrezza), originally voiced by Cathy Cavadini, for the Italian version of the animation movie Soul, produced by Disney and Pixar.[22]
