Nigeria’s table tennis sensations, Usman Okanlawon and Sadiat Akeem have secured their places in the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Hopes Challenge holding in Muscat, Oman.
The teenagers competed against players from Egypt, Tunisia, Rwanda, Uganda, Congo Brazzaville and host – Congo DRC, with the top two players in the U-12 and U-15 events berthing at the world championship in Oman.
Despite losing 2-3 to Egypt’s Yassine Yasser in the boys’ U-12 event, Okanlawon made the cut to the global tournament while Akeem who also competed in the girls’ U-12 defeated Egypt’s Hagar Ashraf Shahata to emerge champions and also secured her place in the Oman tournament.
Also in Morocco at the weekend, Taiwo Mati showed his class as the Ondo State-born player emerged winner in the boys cadet singles event at the just concluded ITTF World Junior Circuit held in Agadiro.
To emerge winner in the cadet doubles, Mati and his partner beat the combination of Saudia Arabia’s Khalid Alshareif and Remi Chambet-Weil of the Netherland (11-2, 11-8, 11-9).
