National U-19 champion Onaopemipo
Adegoke says competing against top stars at the 2018 Lagos
International Squash Classics has given him the opportunity to become a
better player. Onaopemipo Adegoke beat Desmond Iguodala 3-2. 47min
It’s been a tale of mixed blessings for
Nigerian players at the championship with only a female player sure of
reaching the last four of the competition, which enters the semi-finals
on Friday.
However, the only Nigerian competing in
the main draw of the men’s event, Babatunde Ajagbe, lost to Shehab Essam
11-3, 11-7, 11-9 in an encounter the Egyptian admitted was his toughest
in recent times.
Adegoke said the performances of
Nigerian players at the championship was an indication that they could
compete with the best players, if they had the opportunity to play
internationally on a regular basis.
“I am very grateful for the opportunity
we had to compete against some of the best squash players in the world
and it’s really exciting that we are not pushovers against these top
players,” the 18-year-old said.
“I must commend the Lagos State
Government for ensuring that we have the classics back after failing to
host it last year. I must also appreciate the efforts of the Lagos State
Squash Association for providing the platform for young players like me
to compete in such an international tournament. I hope I will be able
to do better in subsequent editions of the tournament.”
Meanwhile, after staging a two-day
coaching course in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, the Nigeria Squash
Federation will organise another two-day National Referees’
Certification Course in Lagos on March 26 and 27 at the Teslim Balogun
Stadium, Lagos.
According to the NSF president, Boye
Oyerinde, the training and retraining of coaches and officiating
officials is a pre-requisite towards the development of the sport.
“It is very important for our referees
to update their knowledge. We have decided to do this with a world-class
certified official, who will be on ground for two days to pass the
knowledge to our officiating officials. Our efforts to improve the sport
will be all-round as we are helping the players and coaches. The
officials will not be left out because they will also help us as well as
partner us in progress,” Oyerinde said.
News Credit:PUNCH
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