Dave Filler

Toyin Okenla -  I Started My Table Tennis Career Playing On a Septic Tank

As a little girl, Toyin Okenla was rigorously guarded by both parents due to the fact that the doctors were not certain if she was going to reside. Regardless of that, her mom discouraged her from taking to game. Okenla went for Table Tennis and made a success of it. After a powerful Table Tennis career of which she rose to be a national champion, she jumped into the United States where she studied bookkeeping and later obtained a Ph.D in nursing. Now married, she is Dr. Toyin Okenla-Ojeaga. The former Nigerian Table Tennis king talks to Kunle Adewale about her humble start and the way Table Tennis could be restored in the NationIn the 1970s and '80s, Nigeria has been Africa's undisputed king of Table Tennis and enjoyed a decent location on international rankings. However, the luck in the game has dipped to a shocking amount in the last two decades. One of the era's super stars was Toyin Okenla. Obviuously feared by the decrease, she's begun the revival of the game with the sponsorship of the "Toyin Okenla-Ojeaga U-17 Table Tennis Championship" for secondary schools in the federation. This championship is in its second edition after a successful introduction last year.

=> Choose the best paddle here: https://www.quora.com/profile/Sportzones/Sport/Best-Ping-Pong-Paddles-In-The-World-How-To-Choose-Them-1

"I decided to organise U-17 championship in order to begin from the grassroots; to promote the children while they are still young and at school. It's to also remind them to remain in college while into sports, because someday they'll outgrow aggressive sports but their certificate won't ever outgrow them. I think myself as one of those fortunate ones. I really don't have much but I love giving. Sometimes, I wonder why I give selflessly. Without thinking twice afterward, I remember my mother acted that way too.

"One of my most important objectives is to give back to the society because I know what Table Tennis has done for me personally. When I was growing up, I used to be somewhat timid and sports helped me to conquer that. It increased my self respect and encouraged me to pursue my dreams. I feel that if you've got a very high self esteem, you won't be reluctant to get anything. So, sports helped me to focus on my fantasies and attain those dreams," she explained.

Speaking further, the Catholic University (United States) graduate stated: "As a small girl, I was guarded by both my parents due to how the doctors were not certain if I was planning to live. I had been born after seven weeks in the womb of my mom. I weighed close to two pounds at birth. I had two older brothers. One of these is currently late. They were my role models. They believed me everything about sports - Table Tennis, Boxing, Football, and so on. My mom never discouraged me from accepting to sport; she was just concerned about my nutritional state because I never use to like food. She frequently made remarks that my brother could turn me to a boy (Tom boy).

"However, my dad was the one that never approved my partaking in sports. He was always apprehensive that participating in game would divert me from my research, but I assured him I would do both simultaneously and without difficulty.

"Whoever believed sports, attractiveness and instructional excellence are strange bedfellows has probably not met the former feminine Table Tennis winner. "I began playing Table Tennis at a very young age. I started at home playing a septic tank and tutored by my brother. I never realised how great I had been until I followed him to Mobolaji Sports Centre, Rowe Park, Yaba, Lagos. There, I found a lot of people playing and asked if I could play. They were mostly boys at that time and one of them gave me his paddle and that I played it. I guess I impressed many to the extent that coaches that were current at the sport centre started asking for my title. That was how I began playing with Table Tennis. My brother would sneak me into the Rowe Park Sports Center where I had the chance to play different sports with boys. I was later spotted by a coach. I played NEPA and represented Lagos State.

"Later in 1980, after graduating from high school, I was recruited by Bendel State (currently Edo State) where I then represented the country in the National Sports Festival. In April of 1984, I jumped to the United States. I started my early education in a catholic college, and proceeded to attend Catholic University. I began my carrier analyzing accounting and worked at a financial institution in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for four decades. Back in 1997, I decided to alter my carrier to science. Now I am an advanced practice nurse, specialising in women's wellness. I enjoy reading, playing scrabble, and spending time with my children.

"It's generally not a rosy tale at the outset for young women seeking to pursue a career in athletics, but Okenla could not recall facing any hurdle.

"At that time, there were lots of young boys and girls playing the game and I was just playing Table Tennis for the fun of it. I was not playing to be a champion, but at any stage, it got really serious. I cannot recall any challenges I experienced," she remembered. Though it's been a long time ago, she still cannot forget her first tournament. "My very first tournament was in 1979 in the Asoju Oba Championship. I placed third in the ladies' singles.

"Regardless of the fact that she lost in the closing of the Elephant Cement Table Tennis Championship, the competition so far remains memorable for her : "My most memorable match was in the Elephant Cement Table Tennis Championship held in Ogun State. I left it into the final of the girls' singles but lost to Ganiyat Agoro in a really demanding and competitive game.

=> Read more: Best Paddles, Tables, Robot Reviews 2018

"Realised the way the finest could be attracted out of Nigerian Table Tennis gamers, the tasteful lady said: "Sports in Nigeria have declined a whole lot. During my period, we used to get a lot of sponsors and championships to compete in. Without tournaments, you cannot discover how good a player is.

"Back then, we was able to participate in a lot of tournaments like Asoju Oba Championship, which is still the only one of the lot that is still on. There was also the Bournvita Open and Omo Open to mention but a few. Now, however, there's none of these championships. This is quite unfortunate. I am so appealing to private organisations to come to the rescue of Table Tennis and sports as a whole in order to get the best out of our own youths and get them off the roads"Okenla was last year called the ambassador for its Pastor E.

A. Adeboye U-20 Championship and she hopes to bring her expertise to endure.

"Being called the ambassador of the championship, I would be telling the youths about my experience and hope it would promote them. Also, it's important for the participants to be able to join sports with education; it's extremely vital. Without schooling, sports would be nothing.

"On whether some of her kids has taken to the match that attracted her national fame and fortune, Okenla explained: "Regrettably, not at the national level as I did; they perform for their own schools. They also play basketball for their schools.

"Late coach Stephen Williams may not have been a household name in Nigerian Table Tennis circles, but it was from him that Okenla acquired the skill which nurtured her livelihood.

"He was then Bendel State's Table Tennis coach. He actually assisted in improving my game.

" And one title she wouldn't forget in a hurry is Kuburat Owolabi - the player who gave her greatest opposition during her playing days. But she needed to deal with a familiar obstacle: the usual scepticism of parents with respect to letting their kids pursue their athletic passion.

"My parents objected to my participation in sports and I had to assure them I would not allow that to affect my schooling in any way. This was mainly the reason I made my mind up to take the scholarship offer which Bendel State gave to me so I could combine my schooling with sports," Ojeaga, with a contract with US Department of Justice and Marshals, said.

Running three other companies apart from a private practice, flying back home to Nigeria at the shortest notice and also running a family is certainly not a walk in the park.

"I've companies which have stabilised and also my contract with the Department of Justice is a really good contract since whenever I tell them that I have an obligation to meet they find somebody to pay for me while I am away. As for my companies, I've got people which are running it for me while I am not there.

"Much of the things that I do are located online and I can track my companies online to know if they're doing it while I'm in Nigeria. Thus, it's not been very hard. However, combining the whole thing with managing a house was a tiny bit hard but thank God I have a spouse that is very understanding. He fills in for me personally necessary.

"At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Nigeria introduced a team of largely old players, who've been representing the country through the years. It wasn't surprising that they barely made any markers in the preliminaries.

"At that point it was quite disheartening to see the decrease of Table Tennis players. During our time, Atanda Musa and one or 2 players were well placed in the world and we held the African American championship album and we were also well put in the Commonwealth Games. Now, it is a different story, and I expect that one day with my involvement and Pastor Adeboye coming up to host contests, and should the private sector hopefully sponsor a few championship, we'll discover hidden talents. The game can return to its glory days and Nigeria can probably produce a world champion from the closest future. After all, the Chinese are not superhuman," she noticed.

In years ahead, the former ping pong prodigy want Nigerians to recall her for the role she played in reviving the match. "The U-17 Championship for secondary college is just the 2nd version of the championship. My fantasy and prayer is to continue as long as I live and my kids to continue after I'm gone. I will love to leave a legacy of a game philanthropist, one that never forgets her roots. If my contribution to the community can encourage one or two individuals, I think I have fulfilled my goal," Okenla said.

This much was also emphasised by the Lagos State Sports Commissioner, Enitan Wahid Oshodi through a media briefing to serve-off the second edition of Okenla-Ojeaga Championship.

"Dr. Okenla-Ojeaga is sitting to give an address not because she had been a former table tennis celebrity, but because she had gone to school. Some former sports men and women might have wanted to return to their society however lack of schooling has restricted them," read more here.