The first phase of the Festival of TableTennis "ITTF West Africa Regional Championships" has been concluded, as Kuti Mathew and Ojomu Ajoke emerge victorious in both men and women singles categories
The championships took place at the Molade Okoya Thomas Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere.
Nigerian ping pong sensational Kuti defeated his counterpart from Nigeria AbdulBasit AbdulFatai 4-1 (7-11, 11-6,11-9,11-7,11-7) to emerge as champion in the men's singles final. He lost his first set 7-11 before staging a comeback to dictate the proceedings, which earned him the title for the second consecutive time.
Kuti becomes the first player to defend the ITTF Africa West Regional Championships men's singles title.
Ojomu Ajoke, winner of the women's singles title, expressed her delight. Despite having a leg injury, I still managed to clinch the trophy.
"Playing against fellow teammates is always challenging, as we frequently compete against each other in national team events."
Ojomu applauded the President of the African Table Tennis Federation for the chance to showcase her talent in Lagos State and Nigeria as a whole.
I'm proud of myself, and I know my family will be proud, too, knowing the hard work I put into winning this trophy, she added.
President ATTF and Vice President ITTF, Barr Wahid Enitan Oshodi said the Nigerian players are looking good and doing well with the likes of Kuti Mathew, Taiwo Mati and others would carry their form into the WTT Lagos Contender.
"We see a lot of young and female players, which has always been difficult in developing in West Africa. But now, there are a lot of players coming on, and the standard is really high. We look forward to the next few weeks of tournaments in Lagos." Nigeria remains the top team in West Africa.
The four day championship also serves as a qualifier for the 2025 ITTF African Championship scheduled to hold in October from 12 - 19 in Kigali Rwanda.
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