Sports
Odusanya Sets New Record At T’Tennis Tournament
A new tournament record is set by Bose Odusanya at the 52nd Asoju Oba Molade Okoya-Thomas Table Tennis Cup after she claimed her sixth women’s singles title of the oldest sporting event in Nigeria.
From 2015, Odusanya had been unbeaten in the final and again this year she reclaimed her title after beating Kehinde Oyeniyi 4-0 (11-1, 11-6, 11-4, 13-11) to emerge as champion.
Tidesports source gathered that the two-day tournament ended yesterday at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos.
She is the first player in the history of the tournament to claim the title consecutively six times in a row.
With the quarterfinal exit of men’s singles defending champion David Fayele, a former champion Ahmed Adeyinka reclaimed the title again.
Fayele, who had boasted of his intention to claim his title was shocked in the quarterfinal by Augustine Emmanuel who put an end to the dream of the soldier man with 4-2 (5-11, 11-8, 11-9, 7-11, 12-10, 11-8).
Despite working his way to the final, Emmanuel was no match to Adeyinka in the men’s singles final as he was overwhelmed by the experienced opponent.
From the start of the tie, it was as if Emmanuel was going to humble another former champion but from the way and manner Adeyinka approached the match, it was clear that he had learnt from the downfall of Fayele in the quarterfinal.
In less than 30 minutes, Adeyinka had defeated Emmanuel 4-0 (11-4, 11-5, 11-6, 11-5) to wipe off the tears of losing in the final last year.
A total of 48 men and 25 women competed in the tournament which has continued to churn out stars for Lagos and Nigeria.
Director General, Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC), Gafar Bolowotan, said that the staging of the tournament by the family of late Chief Molade Okoya-Thomas was a confirmation of the commitment of the family to grassroots development.
“I am happy that the family decided to stage the tournament this year amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and that new players have emerged; we believe the Lagos State Table Tennis Association (LSSC) would take up some of the discoveries from there.
He commended the players for following the laid-down COVID-19 protocols throughout the tournament to protect the lives of athletes.
Ayodeji Okoya-Thomas, who spoke on behalf of the family, said that this year’s tournament faced outright cancellation but had to be scaled down due to COVID-19 pandemic
“I do not feel too good about it that we do not have the 22 events but we had to make a decision.
“We either cancel or just have two events, which is women singles and men singles,” Molade-Okoya said.
He added that the family was just being careful not to organise a tournament that would increase the risk of COVID-19.
“We do not want it to be on record that we missed the tournament in a year,” he said.
Femi Sokoya, Chairman, Lagos State Table Tennis Association, said that he was glad the tournament was held.
He added that the tournament had encourage a lot of athletes to improve.
“Am extremely excited about the tournament and I have seen a lot of improvement in some players.
“We are already following up with some new talents and already speaking with their coaches to fish them out so we can encourage them to continue.
“The lady that got beaten had the finals had shown a lot of improvement, last year she lost out at the semi finals.
“This year she has improved a lot, though her performance at the finals was not encouraging”, he said.
He added that the passion for table tennis had ensure the tournament was held.
NAN reports that the first place got a Samsung air conditioner each, second place, 43 inches Samsung television, while third place got Panasonic standing fan each.
The Los Angeles Lakers shrugged off their injury worries to make a winning start to the NBA play-offs.
The 18-time champions were without key players Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Maxi Kleber but 41-year-old LeBron James produced another fine display in a 107-98 win over the Houston Rockets.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks were the other winners on day one of the play-offs, while the Phoenix Suns and Orlando Magic won the play-in tournament to book their places.
James controlled the floor while racking up 19 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds against a Houston side who lost key man Kevin Durant to injury just before play started.
“It’s just our play-off mentality,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.
“You can’t worry about who’s in or out of the line-up. It’s our gameplan. It’s our standards. It’s how we play, and we’ve built towards that.
“I thought our guys just responded well and met the moment. That’s the biggest thing. You’ve got to meet the moment in every game, and we were able to do that.”
Luke Kennard continued to step up as a starter with a career play-off high 27 points as the Lakers took the opening game in the best-of-seven series.
Durant, 37, has a bruised knee and could return for game two on Tuesday night.
Defending champions Oklahoma City Thunder began their campaign last night against the Suns.
Brentford missed the chance to go sixth in the Premier League with a goalless draw against visitors Fulham, their fifth consecutive stalemate in the top flight.
A win would have helped the Bees overtake Chelsea and boost their chances of qualifying for a debut European campaign but they failed to capitalise in a game of few real chances at Gtech Community Stadium.
Fulham had the majority of possession but it was Brentford who had the best of chances in a lacklustre early kick-off.
Igor Thiago, only one behind 22-goal Erling Haaland in the Golden Boot race, headed wide from close range early on while Keane Lewis-Potter fired just over Bernd Leno’s goal from eight yards in the dying seconds of the first half.
Dango Ouattara, who attempted the only shot on target before the interval, failed to trouble Leno again with an effort from distance in the 58th minute.
An unmarked Mikkel Damsgaard then failed to hit the target with a first-time effort from the edge of the box after Kevin Schade played him through as frustration continued to build for Keith Andrews’ side.
Harry Wilson produced a well-timed run to get on the end of a cross in the 78th minute but dragged his shot wide in a rare opening for Fulham.
The teenager delivered a standout performance in what is regarded as one of Africa’s more competitive road cycling events, further strengthening her growing reputation as one of the sport’s most promising young riders.
The Tour du Faso, organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation, which also runs the Tour de France, has been part of the UCI Africa Tour since 2005 and is classified as a 2.2 event.
First held in 1987, it was reserved for amateurs until 1998. It is widely regarded as Africa’s biggest cycling race, a demanding ten-stage challenge that brings together European amateur riders and African local competitors in a contest often described as a blend of sporting ambition and opportunity.
Osaretin’s latest success in stage five adds to a remarkable journey that has seen her rise from humble beginnings as a wheelbarrow pusher to becoming both a Nigerian and African junior champion.
Her breakthrough on the national stage came at the 2024 National Sports Festival in May 2025, where she shocked everyone by defeating Nigeria’s first cycling Olympian Ese Ukpeseraye to win gold in the women’s 200m sprint final.
She went on to win another gold medal in the women’s road race at the inaugural African School Games in Algeria.
Her stage five victory in Burkina Faso now signals continued upward momentum as she establishes herself on the international cycling circuit and looks to build on her early success.
Kola Daniel, special assistant on media to the director general of the National Sports Commission, confirmed the development in a statement released on April 18, 2026.
4th
Falconets intensify preparations for Malawi clash
Nigeria’s U-20 women’s national team, the Falconets, have stepped up their build-up ahead of their FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup final qualifying first-leg encounter against Malawi, scheduled for May 2, Tidesports source reports.
The team have been in intensive training in Abuja as they fine-tune tactics and sharpen their preparations for the decisive fixture, with coaches focusing on team organisation and match strategy ahead of the encounter.
Head coach Moses Aduku expressed confidence in his squad’s readiness, stressing that preparations had reached an advanced stage and that focus had shifted fully to tactical execution.
Aduku said the team are fully concentrated on the task ahead and believes they are well positioned to secure a positive result in the first leg.
“We have a full squad on ground and everyone is focused on the task at hand. From now, we will concentrate on team planning and tactical work. We are taking this very seriously, and I believe by the end of the match we will come out victorious,” he told NFF media.
The Falconets have maintained a positive atmosphere in camp, with high morale among the players and no reported injury concerns.
The coaching staff have also been working on integrating players from different clubs, with emphasis on building cohesion and balance within a short preparation window.
Aduku also appealed for continued support from fans, drawing parallels with previous qualifying rounds against Rwanda and Senegal, while expressing confidence that the team would secure qualification over the two legs.
“To our supporters, we plead that you pray for us as you did when we played Rwanda and Senegal in the earlier rounds. I believe Nigeria will smile with a ticket to the World Cup after the two legs against Malawi,” he added.
Nigeria reached this stage after overcoming Senegal 3-1 on aggregate in the previous round, following a 1-0 home win and a 2-1 away victory.
They had earlier defeated Rwanda 5-0 on aggregate to advance.
Their opponents, Malawi, arrive in strong form after a commanding 6-2 aggregate win over Guinea Bissau, including a 5-1 victory in Lilongwe following a 1-1 draw in the first leg away from home.
The return leg of the qualifier will be held in Lilongwe on May 9, with both sides competing for a place at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland in 2026.