Two athletes from Benson Idahosa University, Destiny Okhinaye and Godwin Mary won gold in the Women’s Doubles Final at the 11th All Africa University Games.
The duo rose above the pressures of competing to finish on the podium when the competitions in the tennis category ended on Thursday in a colourful medal presentation ceremony.
Their journey, a remarkable one, was nothing short of extraordinary. The duo embodied the virtues of self-belief and teamwork on the court.
For Destiny Okhinaye who emerged as the Silver medalist in the Women’s singles, she affirmed that the journey to the final was quite challenging.
After an easy first match, the competition toughened considerably in the Semi-finals. Facing a seeded player, Destiny admitted that the pressure weighed on her.
“My first game was easy, but from the Semi-finals, things became difficult because I was playing a seeded player from Nigeria. I knew I had to show mental strength even after losing the first set”, she shared.
Indeed, Destiny fought back and secured victory, she went on to finish second place in the Women’s singles however, the Women’s doubles final became the defining moment for her at the Games.
Her teammate, Mary Godwin, spoke about her struggles when she and Destiny faced the University of Ghana in a tense Women’s doubles semi-final. After a 4-2 win in the first set, the duo were rattled by the loud support from the Ghanaian crowd.
“In the second set, we were a bit tense. We had won the first set, so we thought we’d have no problems wining the second. But the distractions were much and the Ghanaian fans were loud. We had few people cheering for us”, Mary recalled.
The Nigerian duo lost the second set which forced the game into a third set decider, however, the pair scaled past the previous set and took their chance at the gold medal.
“We told ourselves we could win the match. We were positive and we adopted a do-or-die mentality”.
Sharing more insights on their second-set struggles in the Semi-final, Mary had this to say,
“We didn’t play well in the second set. I was losing my forehand shots and the pressure to perform was too much. I was frustrated and angry
As an athlete, the moment you can control your anger and frustration during games, your chances of winning increases drastically.” She said.
The pair regained focus and played their hearts out to claim the win that sent them to the finals.
Their brilliance was evident in the final as they breezed past the University of Lagos in a 6-0, 6-0 emphatic victory to claim the gold medal.
Written by Victor Oluwaseun Olabisi, Media Volunteer
