Five-year-old Ayomide Omotoso arrived at Lagos’ National Stadium with more excitement than awareness of the challenge ahead, making his debut at the 7th Adegboyega Efunkoya U-15 National Table Tennis Tournament.
Key takeaways
- Omotoso was the youngest player in the three-day national competition.
- He was beaten in every match but treated each rally as an opportunity to learn.
- The tournament featured 136 players: 82 boys and 54 girls.
- Omotoso said his father introduced him to table tennis and vowed to continue practising.
- Segun Efunkoya said the event was designed to carry forward his late father’s sporting legacy.
Learning on the national stage
For Omotoso, the occasion initially felt like an adventure. He was eager to bounce around the venue and experience the excitement of competing in a major national event, without fully understanding how demanding the tournament would be.
His small stature barely brought him level with the table when he entered the Indoor Hall at the National Stadium in Lagos. Even so, he displayed plenty of resolve as he prepared to compete among players in the under-15 field.
Before being called to table seven, the youngster carried himself with confidence and pictured himself finding a way past more experienced opponents. The gap in pace and ability soon became clear, however, as his rivals proved too strong. Instead of allowing the defeats to affect him, Omotoso used every exchange as practical instruction, absorbing lessons from the players across the table while enjoying the experience despite losing each of his matches.
His enthusiasm was impossible to miss. Although the results did not go his way, the pride of appearing at his first national tournament outweighed any frustration. As the event’s youngest entrant, simply being part of the competition was a source of immense happiness.
“I enjoyed playing because table tennis is something I love. My father taught me, and my opponents are much stronger at the moment. I will keep practising and try to perform better when I return,” Omotoso said, smiling.
The young player is the son of Gbenga Omotoso, the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy. Speaking about his showing, Ayomide displayed clear pride, underlining how enthusiasm and commitment can matter as much as age in sport.
A tournament built on legacy
The competition was staged by the Efunkoya Sports Foundation in partnership with the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF). Across three days, it brought together 136 competitors, including 82 boys and 54 girls, for a lively programme of matches.
Segun Efunkoya, the eldest son of the late Dr Adegboyega Efunkoya, who previously served as NTTF president, viewed the tournament as something larger than a series of fixtures. For him, it represented an effort to preserve and extend his father’s contribution to table tennis.
“I feel deeply proud and pleased by what I have witnessed. My father cared passionately about administering table tennis and always believed athletes should pursue education alongside sport. Events such as this can identify players capable of bringing honour to Nigeria while helping them develop into responsible and valuable members of society,” Segun Efunkoya said.
