Bose Odusanya continues her record-setting streak at the annual Molade Okoya-Thomas National Table Tennis Championships, securing her 10th consecutive Women’s Singles title at the 56th edition of Africa’s longest-running table tennis tournament over the weekend in Lagos.
National champion Matthew Kuti also maintained his unbeaten run, winning his first senior Men’s Singles title at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Cup with a convincing 4-1 victory over Kwara’s Abbulbasit Abdulfatai.
Despite being seeded fourth, Odusanya raised her game to bulldoze her way into the final, where she defeated Amina Fashola of NSCDC 4-1 (8-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-6, 11-8), becoming the first player in the competition’s history to claim 10 consecutive titles.
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 Sarakin, along with the home fans. He confidently claimed his first senior title at the tournament. Despite losing the first game 7-11, Kuti rallied back to stun his left-handed opponent with a commanding 4-1 (7-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-5, 11-9) win, emerging as the new Men’s Singles champion.
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.
For Kuti, winning the Molade Okoya-Thomas Cup title adds to his numerous titles in the country. He also praised 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. 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 lauded the family of the late Chief Molade Okoya-Thomas for their dedication to the annual 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.
Deji Okoya-Thomas promised to continue improving the quality of the tournament, encouraged by the turnout and quality of play in its first year as a national event.
