Okutoyi's gold medal a reminder we can excel in all sports
Kenya's Angella Okutoyi plays a forehand shot during the Billie Jean King Cup Africa Group III at the Nairobi Club on June 14, 2023.
What you need to know:
- Her gold was just one among a handful that Kenya was able to scramble together after a horrible outing in Accra, Ghana, where we reaped the fruits of poor preparations and recorded a shoddy performance
- The well-maintained courts can only be found in private clubs, where entry is restricted to members only
- In most primary and secondary schools, which is the age at which most tennis players discover themselves, tennis courts are nothing but open fields with an old net
Hail Angella Okutoyi, the first Kenyan to win gold in tennis at the African Games this side of the millennium.
When this 20-year-old jumps for a serve, there’s often a moment when she hangs in the air so long she looks like she is levitating. But she is not, obviously. She is simply looking for that perfect spin or slice that will set up the first point. She can ride the wind like a bird, it seems, and rise above the frustrations and limitations of life. You would never guess the obstacles she has faced to get where she is.
And perhaps that’s the point. In many instances, Kenya’s sporting success is down to the fact that our athletes are simply used to jumping past obstacles. Okutoyi, this young queen of breakpoints, drop shots and backhands, has returned gold from the African Games to remind us all that in a county famous for endurance sports and enamoured with the forceful culture of football, there is also great potential for a non-contact, easy-to-follow game – tennis.
Her gold was just one among a handful that Kenya was able to scramble together after a horrible outing in Accra, Ghana, where we reaped the fruits of poor preparations and recorded a shoddy performance. Even athletics, Kenya’s default gold medal machine in any tournament, couldn’t save us, as we failed to clinch first position in various races.
The opportunists naturally focused on Okutoyi, congratulating and heaping praise on her young self. That is all good, but this might be a good time to cast a considerate eye at the tennis infrastructure in the country.
The greatest challenge facing the sport s lack of quality training facilities. There are very few of them in a country with a population of 40 million, and most of these courts are based in Nairobi. The well-maintained courts can only be found in private clubs, where entry is restricted to members only. In most primary and secondary schools, which is the age at which most tennis players discover themselves, tennis courts are nothing but open fields with an old net. Balls? Players often have to bring theirs. It means young tennis players looking to advance their skills have to either be members of a club, and be ready to travel to and from the few public courts available every time they need to train. Can they afford it?
Perhaps it explains why Okutoyi jumped at the opportunity to study at Auburn University in Alabama. That was the only way she could access the top-notch facilities she needs to fulfill her dream of being the first Kenyan to win a Grand Slam.
We don’t always get to celebrate excellence in sports. Excellence is uncommon in this part of the world and the best coping mechanism is to become accustomed to limited choices and average results. Our default is often to reward mediocrity because, hey, at least an attempt was made. Which is why it is hugely encouraging to see a gentle giant like Okutoyi overcoming great challenges and daring to dream the impossible.
Yes, we may be a football-mad country, but may we develop a love for excellence, no matter where it comes from, and offer tennis the infrastructural support it desperately needs.
