Paradise Games: Ondo squash player vows to retain title

Yemisi Olatunji, Ondo State Squash Association player and gold medalist at the 19th National Sports Festival, yesterday said she was training hard to defend the title at the forthcoming festival.

The fiesta tagged, “Paradise Games,” would hold from Nov. 23 to Dec. 3 in Calabar, Cross River.

Olatunji won gold in individual event and bronze in the team event at the 19th National Sports Festival tagged EKO 2012 in Lagos.

Ondo State came sixth on the medals table with 18 gold, 12 silver and 28 bronze, tolling 58 medals.

Olatunji, who is currently the number one female squash player in the country, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Akure, that winning medals in Calabar would not come easy.

The gold medalist, however, said that she was training hard to fend off challenge in order to retain her medals.

“I have participated in two festivals; KADA Games in 2009 where I lost out in the quarter final.

“The second and recent one is ‘Eko 2012’ in Lagos and I won gold and team bronze.

“I know it is going to be tough. Normal closed festival is not always easy. Now that it is open, I need to train harder than before. I am confident of coming back home with two gold medals,” she said.

Olatunji, who expressed optimism that the future of squash was bright in the country, said:

“I know the game will be better than this because we have personalities playing squash like former President Olusegun Obasanjo who is also our grand patron.

“The Senate President too plays squash. So in the next five years, squash will be one of the best sports in Nigeria.” ( NAN)