By Hananeel Jackson
Nigeria and Bayelsa born young Table Tennis sensation Samuel Boboye says his aim is to representing Nigeria in the Olympics games in the future.
Samuel Boboye and Matti Taiwo dominated Africa in the just concluded U-19 International Table Tennis Federation ITTF championship in Tunisia.
Nigeria halted the dominance of Egypt in the team events of the 2022 ITTF Africa Youth Championships as the West Africa team claimed the boys’ U-19 title at the expense of the North Africans to earn Nigeria a place in the 2022 ITTF World Youth Championships WYC.
Boboye in an interview on arrival from Tunisia said he was elated to compete among the best table tennis players in the continent, pointing out that he did not entertain fear when he saw his Egyptian opponent Gamal Marwan.
He noted that with the rigorous training he undertook at the commonwealth camp before going to the ITFF Africa Youth championship in Tunisia, he was optimistic of winning gold in the tournament.
With the National Sports Festival coming up in Asaba, Delta State, Samuel Boboye said his priority would be to clinch gold in all the categories.
The 18 years old Boboye who hails from Ekeremor Town in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State believes that with continuous hard work and training, he is sure of representing Nigeria in the Olympics games in the future.
The world number 221 also asserted that his focus is to participate in the World Table Tennis championship as well as international tournament to boost his rankings in the world, stating that he was prepared to take part in senior competitions in the coming days.
He thanked the chairman Bayelsa State Table Tennis Association and South-South zonal representative on the board of Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), Mr Ama-Ebi Ebikpolade for the fatherly role he has played in his life.
Reacting to Samuel Boboye’s triumph in Tunisia, the South-South zonal representative on the board of Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), Ama-Ebi Ebikpolade attributed Samuel Boboye’s brilliant outing in Tunisia as a result of love, understanding and good relations in the association.
Mr Ebikpolade said with the array of stars the state has produced, he was not surprised seeing Samuel excelling, saying that the only way to develop talents is to create an enabling environment for athletes to showcase their skills.
He explained that he spotted Samuel at age of 12 at Azikoro town in Yenagoa and immediately developed interest in the player few years later and has become an African champions where he defeated Algerian number one in 2020.
He added that his plan is to ensure that the zone becomes the powerhouse of table tennis in the country.
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