ALL Africa Games silver medallist, Janet Friday Effiom of Cross River State, and Kazeem Makanjuola of Union Bank (UBN) Sports Club have emerged winners of the third edition of the Reachout Nigeria Open Table Tennis Championship, which ended in Uyo at the weekend.Makanjuola defeated team-mate Jide Ogidiolu to win the N200,000 cash prize while Friday Effiom Bassey, also of Cross River State, took home N100,000. Ogidiolu also got N84,000 for his effort while Bassey got N50,000.Sola Oyetayo of UBN and Kayode Adedeji of Edo State finished joint third in the male category while Sidikat Yaya of UBN and Bassey Agbor of Cross River finished joint third in the female category. Effiom told The Guardian that her experience gave her the victory at the tourney, which was bankrolled by Christ Embassy, Uyo.'I am happy to have won the tournament but it didn't come to me as a surprise because I am the most exposed and experienced of the lot,' she said.While commending the sponsors, she urged them to ensure that they attract the best players in the country at the next edition to make the event more competitive. All the same, she was proud of her title despite the absence of top players.'I am happy to have won this title and I hope to be here next year to defend it,' she added. 'I must also commend the organisers for bankrolling the event for three years, it shows they have the interest of the game at heart.'Makanjuola also commended the sponsors and expressed happiness at the successful defence of his title: 'All the players did well but with hard work and luck on my side, I was able to beat my team-mate in the final,' he said.In his closing remark, senior pastor Emeka Nnabuko commended all the players for giving their best during the competition, and reinstated the church's commitment to the sponsorship and development of table tennis in the country.'It has been a rewarding championship and the event is borne out of Pastor Chris Oyakilome's desire to contribute to the society,' he said. 'We started the competition in 2009 and are happy with the direction it is going.'Winners also went home with medals and cash prizes in the junior mixed double, junior girls doubles, junior boys doubles, senior mixed doubles, women's double and men's doubles.
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