Kenyan Tennis Prodigy Angella Okutoyi Remains Hopeful for Paris Olympics Debut
In a recent interview, Kenyan tennis player Angella Okutoyi expressed her unwavering determination to fulfill her lifelong dream of competing at the prestigious Paris Olympics. Despite falling short of the required top-400 world ranking by the June 10th deadline, the 20-year-old champion remains undeterred, with her team appealing to the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for consideration.
Okutoyi’s path to the Olympics was complicated by the seven-month delay in the 2023 African Games, which she won in March. The postponement, her team argues, robbed her of valuable time to accumulate the necessary ranking points to meet the qualification criteria.
“That has always been my childhood dream, just to see myself in the Olympics, be an Olympian and come out with some silverware,” Okutoyi told the BBC’s Sportshour program on the World Service. “I would say the Olympics is a huge event, huger than the Grand Slams. It’s so big.”
Currently ranked 496th in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings, Okutoyi has already climbed seven places since the June 10th cut-off date. As she eagerly awaits the ITF’s decision, the Kenyan tennis legend remains hopeful that her hard work and unwavering determination will pave the way for her to fulfill her lifelong ambition of competing on the world’s biggest sporting stage.
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