Femi Solaja
Another milestone was set at the just concluded Asoju-Oba Table Tennis Championship as Bose Odusanya yesterday became the first player in the history of the competition to claim seven consecutive titles.
She claimed her seventh Women’s Single’s gong at the 53rd edition of Africa’s oldest table tennis tournament with a 4-0 defeat of Kehinde Oyeniyi.
The Lagos state champion who was part of the Team Nigeria silver-winning contingent to the 2021 African Championships in Cameroon believes she would continue to dominate as long as she keeps raising her game.
Unlike Odusanya, national men’s champion, Rilwan Akanbi claimed her second title at the tournament after defeating Olakunble Ajulo 4-0 in the final to reclaim the title he surrendered in 2017.
Akanbi, who won the 2016 edition of the championships believes reclaiming the title this year did not come on a platter of gold. “I can tell you that it was not easy winning the title this year. It might look easy with the outcome of the result but on the table, it was tough. But in all I thank God that I am able to reclaim the title again after five years,” Akanbi said.
Speaking during the finale, the wife of the Lagos State Deputy Governor, Oluremi Hamzat said the tournament has continued to add value by producing talents for the country.
