Nigeria proved to be among the best tennis nations in Africa after another impressive outing at the ongoing All-African University Games (FASU), in Lagos.
Players from Ghana, Nigeria and Egypt dominated the FASU Games tennis event and they competed in the Men’s Singles and Doubles, Women’s Singles and Doubles as well as Mixed Doubles events.
But it was Nigeria who won most medals at the Games, with the host school University of Lagos (UNILAG), leading the way in the medals’ haul.
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Kareem Kareem from UNILAG won gold in the Men’s Singles event for his institution at their first time of ever participating in the Games before partnering with Emmanuel Musa to win the Men’s Doubles title.
In the Women’s Singles, Nigeria’s Destiny Okhinaye, representing Benson Idahosa University (BIU), had to retire in the final set against Tracy Ampah from Ghana and settle for Silver medal.
The Lagos-based national tennis player was, however, more emphatic in her Doubles match as she partnered Mary Godwin to win gold for her institution.
Omolayo Bamidele from Niles University took home the bronze medal in the Women’s Singles while Serena Ogbebor and Marvis Abamu were the Women’s Doubles silver medalists.
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The Lagos State University (LASU) pair of Fortune Joseph and Abosede Bamidele could not hold on to their comeback momentum in the Mixed Doubles event as they lost the gold medal match to Egypt’s pair of Mahmoud Fathala and Talia Amir.
UNILAG’s Kareem and Ogbebor took bronze in the Mixed Doubles event alongside Ghana’s Benjamin Glover and Michael Tetteh Dorso.
At the end of the tennis event which climaxed on Thursday, 26 September, 2024, Nigeria won a total of eight medals (three gold, three silver, two bronze).
Coach Taiwo Igiehon from BIU was quite excited after emerging victorious in his first ever outing at the FASU Games.
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According to him: “I met really good players here, some I’ve known before on the circuit but some others, I met for the first time. I met a couple of them at the West Africa Games too.
“This is my first time winning gold medal and I feel really good because against all odds, we had our game plan with the two girls. I targeted both medals in Singles and Doubles events, but we will take the ones we were able to get.
“The VC did give us some words of encouragement and prayed for us, and I am glad that the prayers have been answered”.
The double gold-medal winning coach, Patrick Ogbebor from UNILAG, had no words after achieving the unthinkable with his players.
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“I am really pleased with the boys for what they have done, because to be honest, nobody expected us to win medals let alone the gold in two big events.
“But if you look at the way we did everything to reach this stage, you’d see that the boys did really well, and they have made the school and themselves proud,” the team coach told Nigeria Tennis Live.