Sports
Young Tennis Star Targets International Circuit
Young tennis player Rebecca Ekpenyong has said that her ambition is to play tennis at the International level.
Little Ekpenyong who made this known in a chat with Tidesports after Training session at the Anchorage Sports Club, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Rivers Port Complex, Port Harcourt stated that aside from her educational pursuit, she Is interested in becoming number one tennis player in Nigeria, Africa and in the World.
According to her, she had intensified her training in order to achieve her heart desire.
She expressed optimism that having won so many tournaments in the country and beyond, she would excel with necessary assistance from government, Corporate organisation and sports-loving spirited individuals, and appealed for sponsorship to achieve her dream.
Rebecca Ekpenyong hinted that she is leaving no stone unturned to become the world number one female tennis player as she currently prepares to play in the senior category of the National Sports Festivals, having appeared three times in the junior cadre, and to move on to represent the country in All African Games, Common-wealth Games and Olympic Games in the near future, adding that her greatest challenge had been sponsors to attend tournaments abroad and also gain admission to further her education in the United States of America (USA).
She used the forum to commend the Port Manager, Rivers Port Complex, NPA,
Alhaji Abubakar Garba Umar and the management of the Anchorage Sports Club for their encouragement and assistance to train on their tennis court while she is praying and waiting for her dreams to come true.
The Senior Secondary One (SSI) students also thanked her father, Coach Ekpenyong Peter Effiong who is an International Tennis Federation Coach for given her the basic trainings and encouragement, praying God to protect and bless them.
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
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