Odusanya wins 10th Lagos table tennis title as Kuti takes first crown

National champion, Bose Odusanya, at the weekend in Lagos, defeated NSCDC’s Amina Fashola to add the yearly Molade Okoya-Thomas National Table Tennis Championships crown t her trophy chest.

Saturday’s win was Odusanya’s 10th consecutive women’s singles title at Africa’s longest-running table tennis tournament, which marked its 56th anniversary at the Teslim Balogn Stadium in Lagos.

Despite being seeded fourth, Odusanya raised her game to bulldoze her way into the final, where she defeated Fashola (8-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-6, 11-8), to become the first player in the competition’s history to claim 10 consecutive titles.

A delighted Odusanya described this year’s win as the toughest, noting it was the first time the tournament was played as a national event. She commended her opponent for putting up a good fight in the entertaining final.

In the men’s singles, national champion, Matthew Kuti, also maintained his unbeaten run, winning his first senior title at the championship with a convincing 4-1 victory over Kwara’s Abbulbasit Abdulfatai.

Kuti, the top seed in the men’s singles, entertained dignitaries, including Ogun State First Lady, Mrs Bamidele Abiodun and former Kwara State First Lady, Mrs Oluwatoyin Saraki, as well as the home fans. He confidently claimed his first senior title at the tournament.

Despite losing rose from a 7-11 first round loss to stun his left-handed opponent with a commanding 4-1 (7-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-5, 11-9) win.

After his victory, Kuti commended the family of the tournament’s initiator for making it a national event.
In the U-15 finals, Usman Ayoola of Oyo State and Chinenye Okafor claimed the boys’ and girls’ titles respectively.

Ayoola defeated his Oyo State counterpart, Ahmed Ayatullahi, 3-0 (11-8, 11-8, 12-10) to lift the boys’ title, while Abia’s Okafor, who was on the brink of defeat after taking a 2-0 lead, calmly claimed another national victory with a 3-2 (11-7, 11-6, 7-11, 3-11, 11-8) win to be crowned the girls’ U-15 champion.

In her remarks, Ogun State First Lady, Mrs] Abiodun, commended the late Chief Molade Okoya-Thomas family for their dedication to the yearly event, particularly for making it a national event. She also envisioned the tournament going international, given its status as Africa’s longest-running table tennis tournament.

Also speaking at the end of the tournament, Deji Okoya-Thomas, promised to continue improving the quality of the tournament, saying that the family has been encouraged by the turnout and quality of play in its first year as a national event.