Ogun Wins Table Tennis Mixed Doubles At National Sports Festival
Hosts Ogun added to its medal tally in table tennis at the 22nd National Sports Festival—tagged Gateway Games 2024 by securing gold in the Mixed Doubles category on Tuesday.
On Monday, Ogun had already claimed two gold medals in the para table tennis events. Building on that success, the duo of Bode Abiodun and Tosin Oribamishe delivered a stellar performance in the Mixed Doubles final, defeating Bayelsa’s Azeez Solanke and Iyanuoluwa Falana.
In the semifinals, they fought off stiff competition from Edo’s Rilwan Akanbi, and Aminat Fashola. It was Abiodun’s experience that proved decisive, helping the Ogun team edge out a narrow 3-2 victory to book their place in the final.
Unlike the hard-fought semifinal, the final saw a dominant performance from the Ogun pair. They cruised to a straight-sets 3-0 victory over Bayelsa, bringing Ogun’s gold medal count in table tennis to three.
Meanwhile, the singles competitions are heating up as they enter a critical stage. Defending women’s singles champion Fatimo Bello of Delta has confidently declared her intent to retain the title.
She said: “Expect a different performance in this festival because nothing can stop me from retaining the title. It’s going to be tougher this year, but I’m fully ready for any opponent here in Abeokuta.”
The men’s singles event promises a fierce contest with more than ten top contenders, including foreign-based stars such as Olajide Omotayo, Bode Abiodun, Taiwo Mati, Bode Kayode, and Azeez Solanke. They will be joined by local talents like Matthew Kuti, and Abdulbasit Abdulfatai, as well as defending champion Amadi Omeh of Edo.
Chairman of the Lagos State Table Tennis Association (LSTTA), Tunji Lawal, praised the organizers and emphasized the importance of talent identification at the festival.
He said: “I must commend the Ogun State government for putting on a great show. The turnout for the table tennis event has been impressive. With more players participating, we increase our chances of discovering new talent. This is a promising development for the sport in Nigeria. Hopefully, we can find the next Quadri Aruna at this year’s Gateway Games.”
Similarly, The penultimate day of handball action at the 2024 National Sports Festival in Ogun State, on Tuesday, saw Edo State’s women claim bronze with a convincing 32–20 win over Kogi, while FCT’s men overpowered Edo 30–17 to seal third place in the male category.
In the women’s third-place match, Team Edo came out firing, racing to an 18–10 halftime lead against Kogi. Their dominance continued into the second half, with quick passes, clinical finishing, and solid defense ensuring a comfortable 12-goal margin at full time.
It was a fitting response from the Edo ladies, who had missed a place in the final following a defeat to team Sokoto in the semi final.
The men’s bronze medal match saw FCT assert their dominance from start to finish. They led 14–6 at the break and kept control in the second half with a disciplined display that stifled Edo’s attack and exploited defensive gaps. The 13-goal victory underlined FCT’s quality to end their festival campaign on a high.
With the bronze medals decided, attention now turns to the gold medal matches, where champions will be crowned to close out an exciting handball competition in Abeokuta.
Hosts, Ogun will have a chance for double glory in the final as their women’s team will play Sokoto in the female category while their male counterpart will slug it out against rivals Lagos in the Male Category at the Alake Sports Centre on Wednesday.
Ogun Wins Table Tennis Mixed Doubles At National Sports Festival is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
