This archive report was first published on 22 October 2019.
On a sunny Sunday in Kisumu, the Jalaram Academy played host to the 2019 Kisumu Open Table Tennis Championship, a tournament aimed at promoting the sport at the grassroots level. The event saw Kenya's top seed Josiah Wandera emerge victorious, defeating Kennedy Kojal 3-2 in the men's final.
Wandera, who had recently represented Kenya at the All African Games in Morocco, attributed his success to hard work and the experience gained during the games in Rabat. 'I learnt a lot during the African games and am happy to win after not attaining my targets in Morocco. Despite that, I am glad that I was able to use some of the skills I picked there and which I am willing to share to improve other players,' he said after the win.
Meanwhile, in the ladies final, Doreen Juma of City Stadium Tennis Club defeated her teammate Victoria Njeru 3-0 to clinch the gold medal. The tournament, which saw over 100 entries, was a success, with top national players and schools in attendance.
Tournament director and host Derrick Inyanje expressed his satisfaction with the event, stating that they are aiming to create an East African event next year. 'We had top national players and schools which made the tournament a success, and we are going to work towards creating a bigger event next year for East Africa so that we can grow the sport in the region,' he said.
