Paralympic Games medallists Isau Ogunkunle and Olufemi Alabi demonstrated their exceptional skills at the 56th Molade Okoya-Thomas National Table Tennis Championships, held at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of Teslim Balogun.
Ogunkunle, the only African to win a medal in the table tennis event at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, secured a decisive 3-1 victory over fellow Paralympian Bolawa Akingbemisilu, becoming the national champion in the Men’s Singles Class 1-5. Similarly, Alabi, a bronze medallist from the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, showcased his talent with an emphatic 3-1 win against Abiola Adesope, claiming the championship in Class 6-10.
In the Women’s Singles Class 6-10, Kehinde Lawal triumphed over Mariam Popoola with a 3-1 victory to secure the top spot. Kate Oputa of Delta dominated the Women’s Singles Class 1-5, winning 3-1 against Kwara’s Taiwo Oyinloye.
Top seeds Matthew Kuti and Sukurat Aiyelabegan have expressed their determination to make their mark in the competition. Kuti, a silver medallist at the 2023 African Games, stated, “I have been playing well in the last two months, winning the majority of the competitions. But I don’t want to be too complacent; I will give my best to prove myself when it matters most. This is the gathering of the best players in the country, being the first national tournament in 2025.”
Aiyelabegan echoed similar sentiments, acknowledging the tough competition. “We have the best players competing here, and it is really a tough tournament. I am confident I can raise my game to win the title in Lagos,” she added.
Former Congolese international Saka Suraju, who participated in the longest-running table tennis tournament in Africa, praised the family of the tournament’s initiator for maintaining its national significance. Reflecting on his experiences, Suraju noted, “In the 1990s, I reached the final but lost to Hakeem Hassan. Back then, only the best players in the country competed. This tournament has propelled many Nigerian players to stardom, as it was a gathering of the nation’s finest. If you aspired to join the national team, you had to compete in the Molade Okoya-Thomas Cup. I’m pleased that the tournament continues even after Chief Okoya-Thomas’s passing.”
The quarterfinals of the Men’s and Women’s Singles will be held on Friday, January 31, with the final matches scheduled for Saturday, February 1.
