Sports
Table Tennis Oshonaike Happy With Young Players’ Zeal
Africa’s most decorated female table tennis player, Funke Oshonaike, yesterday said that she was impressed with the zeal exhibited by the young players at an ongoing table tennis clinics in Lagos.
Oshonaike, who is sponsoring the clinic, told newsmen at the Knock- up Hall of the National Stadium, Lagos that the children were willing to learn.
“They are all eager to play and learn and that’s very encouraging. This zeal in them triggers me to impart more knowledge in them.
“They are all open to corrections and are learning pretty fast. I’m optimistic that at the end of the exercise they will be better table tennis players,’’ said the Olympian.
The six-time Olympian believes the clinic will surely give the players hope that with discipline and hard work, they can reap from their efforts in the sport.
“I believe when top players like us organise such programmes for the young players, they are inspired and motivated to learn from us,’’ she said.
She added that she was responsible for the participants’ accommodation and feeding to make the clinic easy and smooth for them.
Oshonaike also provided branded shirts and perfumes for all the participants.
Tidesports gathered that 17 players from across the states of the federation, consisting of eight girls and nine boys are undergoing the clinic.
Oshonaike is conducting the clinic with the assistance of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) Head Coach, Nasiru Bello, Delta State Coach, Ibrahim Oyelewe and Kwara Coach, Kehinde Aiyelabegan.
The female players are Sukurat Aiyelabegan of Kwara, Ifeoluwa Omotosho of Lagos, Agnes Onoja of Ondo, Iyanuoluwa Falana of Kwara, Rofiat Jimoh of Kwara, Habibat Adeyinka of Oyo, Vivian Oku of Cross River, Kehinde Oyeniyi of Lagos and Grace David of Abuja.
The male players are Michael Obayomi of Lagos, Abayomi Animashaun of Ekiti, Muiz Adegoke of Lagos, Wariz Kagbatolorun of Oyo, Jamiu Ayanwale of Lagos, Taiwo Matti of Ondo, Idrisu Zachari of Kogi, Orok Etim of Cross Rivers and Ibrahim Umar of Kogi.
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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