Kwara state tate badminton players showed class as they came out tops at the final of the first LMK U-15 National Badminton Championship concluded at the Indoor Sports Hall of the Kwara State Stadium Complex, Saturday.
Top of Kwara players performance was Gbotemi Adekunle, who won the Girls Singles title after seeing off the challenge of Haruna Angela of Niger state in two straight sets, while Dolapo Sanda Oyinlola of Ondo state and Tolulope Soyomi of Ogun state settled for the joint third.
The team of Kwara’s Lateef Babatunde and Kabir Osho carted away the Boys Doubles titles, beating Ondo’s Ayomide Aina and Sunday Precious Oyinlola in the thrilling final encounter.
However, Kwara was not lucky enough as the Boys prestigious Singles title went to Ayomide Aina of Ondo state who despatched Lateef Babatunde of Kwara state in the final.
The joint third place was won by Emmanuel James of Taraba state and Sunday Precious Oyinlola of Ondo state.
In the Girls Doubles event, Feranmi Adekunle and Gbotemi Adekunle of Kwara state showed their superiority over the team of Glory Opeyemi Ajayi and Dolapo Sandra Babatunde of Ondo state 2- 0 to lift the title.
Making his remarks at the final of the three-day event, the Executives Chairman of the Kwara State Sports Commission, Mallam Bola Mogaji described Kwara state as the home of badminton in Nigeria.
Mogaji said that Kwara state has taken over the leadership of badminton in Nigeria from Lagos state as Kwara state athletes for the past few years have been proving themselves in the Nigerian team at international tournaments.
The elated Executive Chairman introduced and praised Feranmi Adekunle, a player of the Commission who just returned from Cameroon, where she won three gold and one bronze medals for Nigeria in the African Junior Badminton tournament.
He commended the sponsor of the championship, Abdulfatai Salaudeen, saying that without tournaments like this, it would not be possible to breed talents and future champions.
In his brief remarks, the sponsor, Abdulfatai Salaudeen advised the up coming players to be focused and disciplined in the quest to become International stars in the game.
He pledged that the championship would continue as an annual event.