Hana Goda, the 14-year-old table tennis prodigy from Egypt, is set to showcase her skills at the upcoming ITTF Africa Cup in Nairobi.
Goda has already established herself as a force to be reckoned with in African women’s table tennis by defeating some of the most prominent players, including Olufunke Oshonaike of Nigeria and Dina Meshref of Egypt.
She will be looking to replicate her success at the Africa Cup after winning the Continental Cup in Lagos last year, becoming the youngest-ever winner of the event.
Goda will be among the elite players in the women’s singles, alongside Meshref and last year’s finalist Bello Fatimo of Nigeria. At last year’s event, Goda defeated Meshref in a thrilling 4-3 match before beating Bello 4-0 to claim the ITTF Africa Cup title.
The Africa Festival of Table Tennis, as the event is dubbed, will take place at the Moi International Sports Centre (MISC) Kasarani indoor gymnasium in Nairobi.
The competition will begin with the Africa Club Championship from May 1-3, followed by the ITTF Africa Cup from May 4-3.
The Africa Cup is considered the second-most important continental event in table tennis, after the African Senior Championships, and will also serve as World Cup qualifiers for elite continental players.
The men’s singles are expected to feature top-ranked players such as Omar Assar and Ahmed Saleh of Egypt and Quadri Aruna of Nigeria. Bouloussa Mehdi of Algeria is also among the top-ranked men’s players expected to compete in Nairobi
