Ogun State Junior Table-Tennis Champion, Ayomide Abiona and National Youths Game Gold medalist, Mariam Popoola shone like
a million stars in the finals of both boys and girls singles at the recently concluded maiden Late Madam Meritinure Abebi/Ogun State
Quarterly Developmental Table-Tennis Championship in Abeokuta, the state capital.
Abiona thrashed Olamide Adeyemi by four sets to one, winning the first and second sets,11-8,11-6 before losing the third set,6-11 and
later won fourth and fifth sets 11-3,11-7 to clinch the boys single title while Mariam Popoola was too hot for her opponent, Modupe
Babatunde whom she dismissed easily by four straight sets, 11-8,11-9,11-6 and 11-3 to emerge girls single champion of the tournament
held at the Alake Sports Centre Hall, Ijeja, Abeokuta.
Destiny Obuh and Ebenezer Akanbi won the third joint prize in the boys singles category while twins sisters Kehinde and Taiwo Olayiwola
clinched the joint third position in the girls single.
In the Cadet Boys Single, Roqueeb Bisiriyu narrowly defeated Ayomide Obadele by three sets to two while Fathia Yekini won by similar
margin in the female category.
State Director of Sports, Adesola Faleti described the tournament as timely, saying it will be used to select players for the state contingents
to the forthcoming youths game while lauding the effort of the Engr.Erinfolami for sponsoring the championship to assist the State Tablle-Tennis
Association to discover and groom players for the state.
Also speakiing,the sponsor,Engr.Olasunkanmi Erinfolami represented by Pastor Segun Oluotomi charged the 47 young players who participated
in the tournament,to take education seriously and combine it with their career in the game .
He urged them to be disciplined, if they want succeed in life in sports and education while assuring them of continous support to development of table-tennis in the state.
The tournament were attended by top officials of the state sports council, table-tennis coaches and administrators including its state secretary,