Olufunke Oshonaike epitomises the never-say-die attitude of a Nigerian. Having started table tennis in the ever-bustling street of Lagos, where her talent singled her out for her to become the face of table tennis in Nigeria, she has virtually won everything on offer on the continent and regarded as a role model across the continent. Even at 42, Oshonaike is not slowing down, reports OLALEKAN OKUSAN
It was on the street of Somolu, a suburb of Lagos State, that a table tennis coach, Dele Olasumbo, was attracted to the raw talent of little Olufunke Oshonaike. And at tender age, the coach decided to convince the parent of the little Oshonaike to allow their daughter embrace table tennis. However, her mother vehemently kicked against this idea but her father, a sportsman himself, gave the nod to the coach to groom his daughter.
However, the senior Oshonaike wanted to be sure that his daughter was not influenced by peer group and he accompanied her to every competition within and outside Lagos.
At tender age, Olufunke Oshonaike showed a lot of promises in the sport, winning most of the national titles that she became a household name in the sport.
In Africa, she dazzled and now at 42, Olufunke Oshonaike has continued to show her passion and commitment to table tennis, the sport that brought her to the limelight.
Aside from playing table tennis for more than two decades, Funke Oshonaike holds a Diploma in Physical and Health Education and she had represented Nigeria at 14, while she started her professional career in 1994 at Siracusa, Italy, where she spent two years before moving to Cagliari, also in Italy. She later relocated to Hamburg, Germany, in 1998 where she lives up till this moment. She has represented Nigeria at the Commonwealth Games and various World Championships, while her Olympic debut was at the Atlanta ’96. She was in Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 as well as London 2012. By this August, she will be making her sixth appearance at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The most successful female table tennis in Nigeria reveals that her father’s contribution to her success in the game cannot be underestimated.
“My success from when I started till date cannot be completed without mentioning the singular effort of my father. He stood by me even when everybody was against him and he never doubted my ability. There was no competition that he did not accompany me to and he ensured I had everything I needed to succeed. My father is my strong pillar and for me there is nothing too big for me to do for him. I could remember vividly that he never gave up on me even when it was tough. I cannot forget the sacrifice that my father made to see me up there.”
She admitted that table tennis served as relaxation and comfort, and even when she played truant, while it prevented her from being caned because she was always within her vicinity.
“My mum and dad really encouraged me. All the errands stopped when I started playing table tennis. They never for once had problem with me hanging out with the boys because I was always seen as a tomboy. When I started making money, they were happy for me, and my dad encouraged me the more.”
She said that her decision to embrace table tennis was aided by her father’s advice. “My father believed more that I could make it in table tennis, and when I became the African champion in 1992, I realised that his advice became a reality. I was initially into athletics but my father felt that my real talent was in table tennis. So, he preferred me taking to table tennis rather to doing any other sport. I thank God I followed his advice. So people should understand why I spoke a lot about the immense contribution of my father.”
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 fetched 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 fortune 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 knew my story that 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.
After working with more than 20 junior and cadet players for one week, African table tennis queen, Olufunke Oshonaike, believes untapped talents still abound in Nigeria.
“Before the clinic, I thought they said we didn’t have talented players again but with the few days I spent in Lagos, I discovered that we still have the unrefined talents who just need some encouragement to become world beaters. In Europe, players are exposed to quality equipment and good coaching and this alone motivate them. Unfortunately in Nigeria, all these are not available while the frustration across the country is also taking its toll on sports as nobody cares about the challenges of the players,” she said.
“I am hoping that Toriola and I can work together for another clinic because these players just need more encouragement for them to become stars like us. I just hope we can have the time in July before the Lagos Open, to stage another clinic for these players because they need that consistency now. This kind of exercise should not be a one-off event,” Oshonaike promised.
