At 42, Olufunke Oshonaike has continued to show her passion and commitment to table tennis, the sport that brought her to the limelight. At present, Oshonaike is the best female table tennis player in Africa after winning the African Championship in Morocco last year. However, the Germany-based mother of two told OLALEKAN OKUSAN that she was pained about the dwindling fortunes of the sport and this has prompted her to organise a clinic. She also spoke on the need for athletes to be discipline in their trade.
IN the history of the African Games, Olufunke Oshonaike is the most successful female table tennis player having won more medals than any other player. She was three-time finalist in the women’s singles event of the African Games while she remains the only player to have won the women’s singles title back-to-back in 1999 and 2003.
However, with the emergence of young players like Dina Meshref, Nadeen El-Dawlatly and Edem Offiong, Olufunke Oshonaike rating waned. But she never gave up as she continued to show deep passion for the sport with her presence in virtually all the continental competitions.
In most of the competitions, she ensured she made it to the last four, but her efforts never fetch her expected laurels.
She, however, braved the odds to become Africa’s champion again and she did it in an amazing fashion in Morocco last October. As the only female Nigerian player competing at the 2016 ITTF African Championships amidst the array of players from Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria, Oshonaike in her 40s turned back the clock with an emphatic 4-2 win over defending champion, Dina Meshref of Egypt to emerge as the best female player in the competition.
Based in Hamburg, Germany with her family, Oshonaike is, however, sad that the fortunes of female players in Nigeria is going down and she decided to organise a clinic for junior players in Nigeria.
According to Oshonaike, the essence of the 10-day camping exercise is to inspire and motivate the players to passionately be committed to the sport.
“Not many of the players know my story but I started like them too. But during our days, discipline was very key and we took the sport very serious. I can understand the frustration most Nigerian athletes are faced with in recent times particularly considering the economic recession in the country. But I still want them to know that they can make name for themselves and their families when they take the sport serious.
“They must be committed to the sport and that is part of the things I intend to share with them during the camp. My focus is basically on the female players because we are not producing top class female players like before,” she lamented.
“I love table tennis and the sport has given me all what I need in life. Apart from the fame, I have made a tidy fortune from the sport. All these were made possible because I was committed to the sport and this made it possible for me to achieve all what I wanted to. Unfortunately these days, the Nigerian players are frustrated because of lack of exposure and this has discouraged most of them.
“I am hopeful that the clinic will help to the kids focus on their table tennis career. I want to use the opportunity to inspire and also help them with some equipment that will aid them in training. I really want to focus on the female players and I hope that after telling them my story, they will be encouraged to aim high in the sport,” she said.
Oshonaike revealed that apart from the clinic, top 16 boys and girls in the country would also compete in a two-day tournament to ascertain the best in the country. She added that the top players in the mini-tournament would get her support to become the world beaters in the game.
The six-time Olympian believes the gesture will surely give the players hope. “I believe when top players like us organise such programme for the young players, they can be inspired and motivated to take a cue from us. I am hoping to arrive in Lagos, Nigeria on February 24 for the clinic that will begin on February 25 to March 5 at the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) Training Centre of the Lagos National Stadium,” she added.
The invited players for the clinic are made up of 11 girls and nine boys and they are expected to also use the tournament to tune up for the forthcoming African Junior Championships holding in Tunisia come April.
