Kwara’s Abdulbasit Abdulfatai and Cross River’s Hope Udoaka emerged as champions at the 5th Michael and Felicia Alabi Memorial National Table Tennis Championships, held in the historic town of Otan Ayegbaju, Osun State.
With the defending champions exiting in the quarterfinals, Abdulfatai had a smooth ride to the final, where he mesmerised giant-killer Matthew Fabunmi with a 4-0 victory (12-10, 11-4, 11-4, 11-7) to lift the Men’s Singles title.
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In the Women’s Singles final, Udoaka dominated the encounter, defeating veteran Halima Hussain of Oyo 4-1 (11-5, 11-9, 9-11, 11-7, 11-7) to be crowned the new champion.
In the U-15 categories, Ifeoluwa Ajasa of Lagos triumphed over Deborah Faleye of Edo 3-1 (11-8, 6-11, 11-6, 11-7) to win the girls’ title, while Marvelous Joseph of Kogi overcame Umar Ayoola of Osun 3-1 (11-9, 11-2, 10-12, 11-8) to become the boys’ champion.
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Tournament referee John Peter described this year’s event as unique, blending table tennis with entertainment, as participants enjoyed performances by various artists each day.
“The 5th edition of the Michael and Felicia Alabi Table Tennis Festival was a combination of play and fun. The standard of play kept rising from stage to stage, culminating in the ousting of the defending champions in both the Men’s and Women’s Singles at the quarterfinal stage. New champions emerged in most of the 15 events, and a new dimension was added to the organisation, with university students volunteering and assisting in all areas,” Mr Peter said.
The grand finale of the five-day tournament was graced by the Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, accompanied by the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, and the royal father of Otan Ayegbaju, HRM Ọba Adesola Ojo Fadipe, among other notable personalities.
The N11.5m prize money was sanctioned by the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) and organised by the Osun State Table Tennis Association.
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The event attracted players from various states, including Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Taraba, Nasarawa, Abia, Adamawa, Anambra, Delta, Edo, Kwara, Kogi, Ekiti, Katsina, Niger, Zamfara, and the host state, Osun.
Clubs such as Aruna Sports Club, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Nigeria Police Force also featured at the national ranking championships.
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