Team Nigeria delivered a dominant performance on home soil, winning gold in both the U-19 and U-15 boys’ team events at the 2025 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) African Youth Championships.
The week-long tournament, held at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall, Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos, witnessed a display of brilliance from the Nigerian boys as they stormed to continental glory on Tuesday.
In the U-19 boys’ final, Nigeria breezed past Tunisia, with Abdulbasit Abdulfatai sealing the title after a flawless 3-0 victory over Mohamed Khaloufi.
The win not only gave Nigeria bragging rights but also marked a triumphant return after the country missed the 2024 edition of the championships.
The U-19 triumph secured Nigeria’s qualification for the upcoming ITTF World Youth Championship (WYC) set to take place in Romania later this year.
Nigeria’s U-15 boys were equally impressive. The quartet of Joseph Marvelous, Adeoye Hussein, Adebakin Tobi, and Joseph Victor held their nerves in a tightly contested final to edge Egypt 3-2 and clinch the title.
However, there was heartbreak in the girls’ U-19 event as Nigeria fell to a dominant Egyptian side.
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Egypt, led by captain Mariam Younes, cruised to a 3-0 win in the final to retain their team crown for the fourth consecutive time and secure the only WYC ticket in the category.
Younes began with a 3-0 win over Aishat Rabiu, followed by another clean sweep by Habiba Elbasoumy against Favour Ojo.
Though Kabirat Ayoola managed to take a game off Egypt’s Nour Zaki, the North African powerhouse completed a 3-1 win to secure the gold.
In another milestone moment, Uganda clinched its first-ever continental gold in the U-15 girls’ category.
The East African side came from behind to defeat Tunisia 3-2 in a dramatic finale, etching their names in African table tennis history.
With the championships still ongoing, Nigeria’s stellar start has ignited hopes of more medals in the individual and doubles categories.