Defending champions Muiz Adegoke and Bose Odusanya had smooth sailing to the knockout stage of the ongoing Molade Okoya-Thomas Table Tennis Cup. Former winners Rilwan Akanbi and David Fayele also advanced to the crucial stage of the competition.
The 55th edition of Nigeria’s oldest sports competition commenced yesterday, with preliminary rounds held at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos. The three-day tournament features eight events, including men’s and women’s singles and doubles, as well as para class 1-5 (men and women) and para class 6-10 (men and women). This competition serves as a trial for the Lagos State Table Tennis Association’s (LSTTA) squad for the 2024 National Sports Festival.
Rilwan Akanbi, who secured victory in 2021 and reached the finals in 2022, expressed his determination to reclaim the title from Muiz Adegoke. Akanbi acknowledged the heightened competition this year, being a milestone event, and emphasized his readiness to become champion once again. He noted his recent performance in the third Quadri Aruna tournament, where he narrowly lost the title to Amadi Umeh, and declared himself one of the favorites for the Molade Okoya-Thomas Cup.
The chairman of LSSTA, Tunji Lawal, extended commendations to the late Molade Okoya-Thomas family for sustaining their father’s legacy despite economic challenges. Lawal expressed his satisfaction with the tournament’s opportunity to test players’ abilities and emphasized its role as a preparatory competition for next year’s quarterly league organized by the association. He also hoped to identify emerging talents from such competitions to strengthen the sport further.
