4th Valuejet Lagos Para Table Tennis Open: Paralympic, C’wealth Medalists Dominate Tourney
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - AUGUST 04: Ifechukwude Christiana Ikpeoyi of Team Nigeria serves Team Australia during the Women's Singles Table Tennis Classes 3-5 Group match on day seven of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games at NEC Arena on August 04, 2022 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Tom Dulat/Getty Images)
Paralympics and Commonwealth medalists dominated the final day of the 4th Valuejet Lagos Para Table Tennis Open as Tajudeen Agunbiade, Christiana Ikpoeyi, Faith Bazuaye and Isau Ogunkunle retained their titles in the singles event of the three-day tournament which ended at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of Teslim Balogun Stadium.
Despite retaining their titles, Agunbiade and Ikpoeyi were tested by their opponents in the final while Ogunkunle and Obazuaye were not threatened in their quest to hold on to the laurels.
But 2020 Paralympic Games bronze medalist Olufemi Alabi was the only casualty among the top seeds as he suffered a semifinal exit in the hand of Biola Adesope as he was beaten 3-0 (11-5, 12-10, 11-7) as the only defending champion that failed to defend his title.
The final match involving two Commonwealth medalists Ikpeoyi and Kate Oputa was one of the star matches of the final day as Ikpeoyi, 2022 Commonwealth silver medalist had to rally from the brink of defeat to beat 2014 Commonwealth silver medalist Oputa 3-2 (9-11, 11-9, 12-14, 11-8, 11-8) to defend her title in the women’s class 5.
Also, Agunbiade, 2020 Paralympic Games bronze medalist had to rally from 2-0 down to beat Tunde Adisa 3-2 (8-11, 4-11, 13-11, 11-8, 11-8) to retain his title in the men’s class 9.
2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Obazuaye did not drop a match to retain her title in the women’s class 10 while another 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Ogunkunle defeated his perennial rival Chinedu 3-1 (11-6, 7-11, 11-4, 11-8) to claim his fourth consecutive title in the mne’s class 4 of the tournament.
Already eyeing their places at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, the quarter of Ikpeoyi, Ogunkunle, Agunbiade and Obazuaye believe the tournament has given them the chance to assess most of their possible opponents in national qualifiers.
For the Director General, Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC) Oluwatoyin Gafaar, the tournament has helped to unearth new talents. “Coming from the National Sports Festival with most of these players participating, you can see that the standard is very high and lots of improvement on the part of the players. It showed that they really prepared and you see the finalists who are champions from Delta showing their stuff here. You can from the finals, it’s been athletes from Commonwealth Games to the new ones. The new talents have been impressive but unfortunately, the players from the Commonwealth Games have had the upper hand. This showed the standard and quality of the tournament and those that are champions have reasons to be champions,” he said.
