Team Nigeria shines, as Lagos Badminton Classic ends
Team Nigeria put up impressive show at the third edition of the Lagos International Badminton Classics which ended colourfully on Saturday at the Molade Okoya Thomas Indoor Sports Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere.
Although the traditional stronghold of badminton, Sri Lanka and India stole the show emerging as champions in most of the five categories, the emerging Nigerian players proved their mettle.
The pair of Zainab Momoh and Ramatu Yakubu fought gallantly to the final of the women’s doubles but lost in two straight wins of 21-8, 21-5 to the Sri Lankan duo of Thilini Pramodika Hendahewa and Ishadika Kavidi in the final match.
But the score lines speak little about the efforts of Zainab Momoh and Ramatu Yakubu who had faced very stiff oppositions on their way to the final. They beat the Ugandan duo of Bridget Shamim Bangi and Aisha Nakiyemba. The Nigerian pair had to come from behind to eventually win 14-21, 21-18 and 21-15.
Before then, they had beaten another Nigerian team of Asisat Ogunkambi and Felicia Omotola in the quarter-finals.
Nigeria’s badminton boss, Francis Orbih is undeterred that the Nigerians did not emerge winners. He remarked that the Nigerian team is still work in progress as his administration will embark on talent hunting, talent development and popularizing badminton to lift it from the realm of lesser-known sport.
He said that with assistance of the corporate organizations in Nigeria as well as those of governments and individuals, Nigeria will soon become a force to reckon with in international badminton circuits. He particularly praised the efforts of Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode who has lifted the Lagos International Classics since its inception.
He hopes to establish other competitions across the country, though the Lagos tournament will still remain the only international classics and the highest in Africa.
The dynamic way the tournament has become has seen that no individual has absolute dominance. Top seed and winner of the first edition, Misha Zilberman of Israel could not make it to the final match of the men’s singles as he was eliminated in the semi-finals by the eventual winner and fourth seed, Rahul Yadav Chittaboina of India who went ahead to beat compatriot, Karan Rajan Rajarajan 21-15, 21-13 in an entertaining final match.
The elimination of top seed and inaugural winner, Misha Zilberman was not the only upset of the Lagos International classics. Thilini Pramodika Hendahewa of Sri Lanka who was unseeded in the tournament emerged champion in the women’s category after a close victory over India’s Mugdha Agrey who was seeded fourth heading into the international challenge.
Lagos and Nigeria’s hopes in the men’s singles event, Anuoluwapo Opeyori, was eliminated in the quarter finals by arguably, the most impressive player thus far in the competition, Chittaboboina who emerged the final winner.
The third day of the classics witnessed the highest degree of upset after top seed in the men singles category and former winner, Misha Zilberman, was knocked out by tournament fourth seeded Egyptian and Anuoluwapo’s nightmare, Chittaboboina in a thrilling three set encounter(21-13, 22-24, 21-14) to reach the final.
Some of the biggest highlights in the women’s category saw Nigeria’s top seed and tournament’s eighth seed, Dorcas Adesokan knocked out by Mugdha Agrey of India; 21-10, 19-21, 21-12 in a keenly contested three games.
In the men doubles, the duo of Anuoluwapo Opeyori and Godwin Olofua ran away in a rather emphatic fashion in two straight sets, thrashing their Egyptian opposition, Abdelhakim and Ahmed Salah 21-10, 21-16 to progress to the finals—an unprecedented feat for the duo.
Also, in the female singles category, the impressive Nigerian pairing of Zainab Momoh and Ramatu Yakubu defeated Sri Lanka’s Hendahewa and Ishadika Kavidi in a nervy three set encounter—14-21, 21-18, 21-15.
In what was seemingly, one of the best come backs of the championship, the Nigerian women doubles duo fought back into the game in second set after losing the first set and then showing some class to pip their opposition from Sri Lanka; 1-2 in major scores.
ANDREW EKEJIUBA
