Adebakin, Ojo Win at 4th Efunkoya T’Tennis Championships
New champions emerged at the fourth edition of the Dr. Adegboyega Efunkoya Cadet Table Tennis Championships as Tobi Adebakin and Favour Ojo lifted the trophies at the grand finale of the two-day tournament at the National Stadium in Lagos at the weekend.
The U-15 tournament Championship had over 170 players drawn from 12 states and 36 clubs competing in five events – (singles, doubles, and mixed doubles) with Adebakin and Ojo dethroning defending champions in the singles events.
To win the boys’ title, Adebakin dominated the final against Sodiq Adesanya with a convincing 3-0 (11-5, 11-7, 11-4) while Ojo also dominated 2022 champion Aishat Rabiu with an overwhelming 3-0 (11-8, 11-5, 11-9) win to lift the title for the first time.
But Rabiu made up for her singles’ defeat to win the girls’ doubles title with Musbau Faisa while she also added the mixed doubles title with Adebakin to return home with two gold and one silver medals.
According to spokesperson of the Efunkoya Foundation, Ranti Lajide, the tournament would continue to grow in leaps and bounds.
“Our target this year was to focus on the girls, and we are indeed very happy that we are able to achieve that.
“We started by asking them to get into coaching clinics and career talks and we have been able to see less than 10 of the 64 girls that we can begin to put into practice and train them to represent Nigeria in another one year, particularly in the junior category.
“That was our target and we achieved it and that’s the joy of everyone on the board of the foundation. There have been calls now from our members in the diaspora that that target is consolidated. So, that’s our joy and I’m happy that we achieved that,” concludes Lajide.
The annual event is being bankrolled by former players and lovers of table tennis within and outside the country.
The late Efunkoya was a surgeon and medical practitioner, who became involved in the administration of table tennis in 1962 and he was elected the Chairman of the then Nigeria Table Tennis Association in 1963.
