Kuti, Aiyelabegan reclaim Daniel Ford table tennis titles

Matthew Kuti and Sukurat Aiyelabegan have reclaimed their titles after emerging winners in the U-19 male and female categories respectively at the 3rd Daniel Ford Elite Table Tennis Tournament. It would be recalled that Kuti, who won the title in the maiden edition in 2023, lost to Abdulbasit Abdulfatai in the final of last year’s […]

Matthew Kuti and Sukurat Aiyelabegan have reclaimed their titles after emerging winners in the U-19 male and female categories respectively at the 3rd Daniel Ford Elite Table Tennis Tournament.

It would be recalled that Kuti, who won the title in the maiden edition in 2023, lost to Abdulbasit Abdulfatai in the final of last year’s edition, while Aiyelabegan also an inaugural winner did not participate in 2024, when Kabirat Ayoola claimed the crown.

Kuti’s re-emergence as title holder came after an impressive performance from the group stage to the final, where he redeemed himself by overpowering Muiz Adegoke 4-0 to reclaim the boys’ U-19 title.

The victory marked Kuti’s second title in the category over the past three editions.
Similarly, Aiyelabegan defeated Khadijat Okanlawon 4-0 to secure the girls’ U-19 crown, her second triumph in three years.

In other categories, Chinenye Okafor of Abia retained the girls’ U-15 title and was named Most Valuable Player (female), while Habeeb Adebayo clinched both the boys’ MVP award and the U-12 boys’ title.

Elizabeth Emelike of Abia emerged champion in the girls’ U-12 singles, while Joseph Marvelous of Kogi defeated Umar Ayoola of Lagos 3-0 to win the boys’ U-15 title.

The 2024 edition, held at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium, saw Kuti and Aiyelabegan lose to Abdulbasit Abdulfatai and Kabirat Ayoola respectively.

Lagos state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who was the Special Guest, commended the convener, Yemi Edun, for his foresight in sponsoring the tournament aimed at discovering grassroots talent.

He also urged the players to embrace discipline, hard work, and to avoid doping.

“We must commend Mr. Yemi Edun for keeping faith with the tournament over the past three years. This is what we lack in grassroots sports development.

“I urge players to imbibe virtues that will help them succeed and avoid vices that could jeopardize their future,” he said.

Edun praised the high level of competition and reaffirmed his commitment to grassroots sports development.

“We started this event three years ago to support grassroots sports, and this year we introduced the U-12 category,” he said.