FUNKE OSHONAIKE : I’ll not quit until I help produce a better me

By Taiwo Alimi

 

AT 46, and loaded with honours: Eleven Africa games medals and a seven-time Olympics appearances beginning from the 1996 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro-Brazil, Funke Oshonaike, Nigeria’s table tennis queen from the slum of Somolu-Lagos, is not hanging his bat just yet.

Oshonaike, speaking from Tokyo, where she was officially, inducted into the exclusive ITTF ‘Club 7’ thus becoming the first female table tennis player in the world and the first female athlete in Africa to attend seven Olympic Games, said she is not going into retirement yet as she enjoys playing and in good health.

Retirement for her is not yet an option. She said she would be around to help nurture younger ping pongers that would take her position in the near future.

When she was asked, ‘So, are you quitting? She replied without mincing words: “No. Not right now. I want another better me. Not another me-another better me. I have to try and do my best to be around the younger ones, talk to them and help groom a better me.

QUITING NOT YET 

“I want to motivate them because a girl-child goes through a lot. A coach must be everything to a girl player. They must relate well to motivate them. What I see nowadays is not what we used to have. I want to be their psychologist, their mother and coach.

“I don’t want to retire for now because my body can still carry me. I am aging well and still enjoying the game. I thank God for the gift he has given me and will retire when I see another better me.”

Oshonaike joins compatriot Segun Toriola, and three others as the only table tennis players to compete at seven Olympics.

Beaten by Juan Liu of United States, in the preliminary round, Oshonaike said she was both sad and happy to be in Tokyo.

“I kind of have mixed feelings. At the moment I don’t even know what to feel right now because I did my best. I trained hard and prepared for this. I think Juan played better and that is why I lost. But if I have to think about having another opportunity to be the Olympics, I think it is a big priviledge for me to be representing my country once again.

“I am grateful and happy that there are Olympics this year and I did my best, I lost. So sad that I lost but I have to count my blessing and name them one by one. To be here again and at my seventh Olympics, the first woman in Africa and to be the first woman in the world of table tennis, I have to be grateful and thank God.”

OLYMPIC JOY

Since her first Olympics games in Rio way back 1996, the table tennis queen noted that nothing beats the Olympics Games Village feeling.

“It has been great from 1996 to now. Like they say Olympics is every four years and whenever I finish one Olympics I inated by the Chinese, they are the master of table tennis. Apart from that I am much fulfilled. I don’t want to be the only one and hope others will join me. I give myself 90 percent. I am happy and fulfilled. All I want to do is throw in the towel and thank everyone.”

NO REGRET

She abhors no regret. “With sport I don’t have any regret.  When I started it was a good in Nigeria and sometimes when I look at how it is now I’m happy that I witnessed the good times. I could remember the time we were preparing for Cairo Africa Games I had to change my school from Igbobi College to Government Girls School in Kwara because we were in Kwara for one year training. Do we get that now? That was the time when Nigeria will win everything.”

Interestingly, she said felt stronger when faced with opposition. “I thanked a few people that have been supporting me. I appreciate your love and care. Don’t stop supporting me. And especially those ones that booed me when I was growing up. You see when I was growing up in Nigeria I never had supporters. For a 15 year old then I was shy and was always with my dad. So, when I win I will just go sit by my dad and people saw me as a snub. They call me names and they would boo me when I’m playing. That encouraged me. I thank those ones for making me a strong woman.”