Lagos, Nigeria – When it comes to one person who is thriving to up her game, it’s Hope Udoaka, and today, she showed that by winning the women’s category of the 10th edition of the ELICRIS Cups National Table Tennis Top 32 Invitational Championships.
Held at the prestigious Sir Chief Molade Okoya Thomas Hall, Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, the Championship featured table tennis stars across Nigeria in the men, women and youth categories.
Udoaka from Canaan Table Tennis Club (TTC), Calabar, Cross River State, clinched the trophy in a scintillating game that got everyone on their feet.
Udoaka defeated Sukurat Aiyelebegan 4-2 in the final to cart home ₦500,000 cash prize.
Speaking shortly after her victory, Udoaka thanked God as well as Rt. Hon. Orok Duke, Chairman of the Canaan TTC, and all those who supported her in one form or the other.
“All thanks to God for making it possible for me to win this competition.
“All thanks to the Honourable Chairman of Canaan Table Tennis Club (Rt. Hon. Orok Duke) for his support so far in bringing up players from Cross River State – it’s a thing of joy to announce that I once again defend the title,” she said.
Duke, on the other, has also sent his congratulatory messages to Udoaka.
Converseer reports that the Championship was organised by the Lagos State Table Tennis Association (LSTTA) in collaboration with the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation and BAA Foundation.
The competition which started on Monday, December 23, ended with a fascinating display of talent and experience on Tuesday, December 24, 2024.
The competition featured Men’s Singles and Women’s Singles categories across two divisions: the Open category and the U-19 category. A total of 64 players (32 men and 32 women) were invited, alongside reserves.
The matches were played in two stages: a group stage featuring round-robin games and a knockout stage. The round-robin matches and initial knockout rounds were decided over five games, while semi-final and final matches were played over seven games.
(WATCH FINAL VIDEO BELOW)