Ajetunmobi, Hassan Shine!

Nigeria’s international table tennis player, Seun Ajetunmobi and Funke Hassan, have emerged winners in the Men’s and Women’s Singles of the Victory Table Table Tennis Championship organised by the Lagos State Sports Table Tennis Association.

The one-day tournament which came to a close on Tuesday at the Mobolaji Johnson Sportshall, Rowe Park, Yaba, saw Ajetunmobi, who plays professional tabletennis inPortugal, beating home-based ping ponger, Olabisi Yussuf, from Ogun State.

Ajetunmobi, who defeated Adeyinka Ahmed-Taiwo in the Men’s Singles’ semi clash by 11-7, 12-10 and 11- 6, humilated Olabisi Yusuf who crushed Dotun Aiyelumo, to reach the final by three sets to one, 11-7, 11- 6,6 -11, 11-7.

Funke Hassan outplayed Sidikat Yakubu by three sets to one to book a date with Bose Odusanya who she beat by three straight sets of 11 – 7, 11- 7, 11 -8, in the semi final. Hassan squared up with Yetunde Thompson in the final.

Thompson, who also thrashed Yusuf Modinat and Aminat Fashola in the semi final by three sets to one, 9 -11, 11-7, 11-2, 12-10, to confront Funke Hassan who whipped her by three sets to one, 9-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-4.

For their effort, Ajetunmobi and Hassan were honoured with a cash prize of N15,000 each plus table tennis kits. The second placed players smiled home with N8,000 each, while the joint third ping pongers got N2,000 each.

As part of efforts to encourage the state’s ping pongers to work hard to win major tournaments, the association rewarded all the ping pongersthat were eliminated in the quarter final stage in the Men’s and Women’s Singles events.

Chairman of the Association,Olumuyiwa Noah, said the tournament which was in honour of Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola and his new Deputy, Adejoke Orelope Adefulure, adding that the tournament has enabled the association to discover two young female ping pongers who would be groomed to represent the state in future tournaments.

While speaking, the former Gunsa Table Tennis player in Portugal, who commended the Association’s Chairman,Olumuyiwa Noah, for bankrolling the event, urged corporate bodies and sports philantrophists to support the association’s quest to add value to the sport through regular tournaments.

He observed that Nigerian table tennis players have the basic skills but there is need for regular table tennis league where the athletes would have the opportunity to play on a regular basis to further improve their skills.