ITTF World Cadet Challenge: Animasahun Listed In ITTF Hopes Team

Nigeria’s Abayomi Animasahun has been listed in the ITTF Hopes Team selected for this year’s World Cadet Challenge in Egypt.

The selection was based the performance at the just concluded ITTF Hopes Week and Challenge in China with the team made up of four boys and four girls that will be catered for by the world table tennis ruling body.

Nigeria’s Abayomi Animasahun (second left) during the medal presentation at the 2015 ITTF Hopes Challenge in Shanghai, China at the weekend.

To be included in the team, Animasahun played second fiddle to United States’ Nikhil Kumar to be among the four-man boys’ team.

The teenager will be joined in the team by American Kumar, Singapore’s Yan Kai Andy Wong and New Zealand’s Nathan Xu.

In the girls’ team, winner of the ITTF Hopes Challenge, Egypt’s Sara Elhakem, India’s Diya Parag Chitale, Russia’s Elizabet Abraamian and El Salvador’s Melissa Mendoza in the girls’ team.

The 2015 ITTF World Cadet Challenge will be staged in the historic Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheik from Friday October 23 to 31.

The eight-man team will be supported by Butterfly with the selection meeting one of the main objectives of the ITTF Hopes Programme; that every member continent of ITTF is represented.

The winner of the Boys’ Singles and Girls’ Singles events at the Challenge Tournament, Nikhil Kumar and Sara Elhakem, gained automatic selection.

The remaining three places for boys and three places for girls were based on a combination of coaches’ assessment in Shanghai and results at the Challenge Tournament.

Evaluation by the coaches formed 65 per cent of the overall calculation. Items taken into consideration were speed and strength alongside a sense of feeling and ability to spin the ball.

In addition, the appraisal addressed attitude, mental strength, and adaptability in a match situation, training and potential.

Meanwhile, at the Challenge Tournament, the players were allocated points which were translated into a percentage, the winner of each of the Boys’ Singles and Girls’ Singles events receiving the maximum 35 per cent of the total mark.

Abayomi Animasahun, OF Nigeria, photo credit ITTFworld

Selection complete but most pertinently there are further names who will be in Sharm El-Sheik as part of the ITTF Hopes concept.

All the eight players must be accompanied by a coach recognised and approved by the relevant national association.

The players will attend a 14-day training camp at a venue yet to be determined prior to travelling to Egypt.

Now the next step is for national associations to endorse the relevant selections; the deadline date being Friday July 31.

Dejan Papic, the ITTF Education and Training Co-ordinator is the Mentor of the Hopes Team, Polona Cehovin Susin, the ITTF Education and Training Director, is the Team Manager.

Nigeria’s Animasahun Finishes Second At ITTF Hopes Challenge In China

Twelve year-old Abayomi Animasahun once again made Nigeria proud in far away Shanghai, China when he defied all odds to finish second in the boys’ singles of the 2015 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Hopes Challenge.

Animasahun, who has continued to compliment his feat at his first international competition at the Egypt Junior Open in June when he won the U-12 boys’ singles while he also finished among the top eight at the China Junior Open last week was the toast of ITTF officials who described the Ekiti State-born player as Africa’s prospect in the sport.

From the group stage, Animasahun made nonsense of some of the highly-rated players from Netherlands and Thailand to settle for second place having lost to United States’ Nikhil Kumar in one of the three matches in the preliminary round. But for placing second, he joined the American boy to qualify for the semifinal stage.

In the quarterfinal match, he continued his fine-form when he overcame New Zealand’s Nathan Xu 8-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-5) to set up a semifinal tie against Belgium’s Adrian Rassefosse which he won. He finally set up a rematch against the American boy who had earlier defeated him in the group stage.

Nigeria’s Abayomi Animasahun (second left) during the medal presentation at the 2015 ITTF Hopes Challenge in Shanghai, China at the weekend.

However, what befell Animasahun happened again in the final match as the American won the match at 11-8, 11-6, 11-6 to be crowned the boys’ champion.

But the performance of the young Nigerian attracted accolades from ITTF Education and Training Coordinator, Dejan Papic.

Animasahun attracted a lot of attention, first he managed to outlast Nathan Xu of New Zealandin long top spin exchanges. The surprise victory made him hot, he moved better in the semifinal against Belgium’s Adrian Rassefosse and played with increased confidence. But in final, he ran out of steam and American Kumar played better in each game. It seemed the fact that Kumar being a left hander was one of the deciding factors,” Papic said.

In the girls’ singles, it was Egypt’s Sara Elhakem emerged winner after beating Germany’s Sophie Kee in the final.

Animasahun’s compatriot, Muibat Bello failed to make it to the podium having finished in the eighth among the 16 players that competed in the event.