10th October, 2013
Against all odds, Cecilia Otu-Akpan emerged champion at the first Lagos International Table Tennis Classics, after conquering tournament’s favourite, Congo Brazzaville’s Han Xing and compatriot, Edem Offiong.
The Calabar-based athlete, who recently won a national tournament in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, says claiming the Commonwealth Games title in Glasgow, Scotland remains her priority.
Prior to the Lagos Classics, Otu-Akpan has been out of action for two years after settling down for marriage, but with massive support from her husband, she found her form to beat other competitors to the $4,000 at stake.
On her first return to action, she managed to make the national team and was part of the team to 2011 All Africa Games in Mozambique, where she struggled to claim medals in doubles event.
At present, Otu-Akpan is in superb form but she admits that she is yet to get to the form of her life.
“I knew that the only title that is still eluding me and I am targeting is the Commonwealth Games title. I knew that players from Singapore and New Zealand are the ones that may want to prove too hard for me and that is why I have been training hard to ensure that I can beat the Chinese-born players in Scotland,” she said.
She added: “For me, I will not stop training because I knew what it helped me to achieve within a short time. I was able to overcome the number one seeded player, Congo Brazzaville’s Han Xing at the Lagos Classics to claim the title and at the just concluded national tournament, I won all my matches to become the champion. I know that with adequate training I can be in top shape for the Commonwealth Games, I will continue with what I am doing and hoping that in 2014, we will have opportunities to compete in series of competitions outside of the country.”
For the Africa’s doubles champion, reclaiming her place in the national team is also her top priority, as her inactiveness has prevented her from the team in the last two years. “I know that the first hurdle before me was to get back into the national team and this I know I can achieve and I might have achieved with what I played at the Lagos Classics. But I must also continue to work hard to secure my spot in the team as many more young players are coming up. I cherish the period spent in the team and I will like to get back there and do what I know best to do,” she said.
Otu-Akpan, however, admitted that getting back to shape after marriage was a bit easy following the enormous support she got from her husband.
Her words: “I think my husband has been supportive because he realized that after we got married I was not able to do what I was doing before he met me. This made him to encourage me to return to the game and I started training with my coach, Richard Edem.”