Athieno grabs consolation win as Wotanabeera longs for more action

Ugandan table tennis player Irene Wotanabeera expressed her desire for more competitive games at the FISU World University Games in Essen, as she felt she found her rhythm a bit too late in the tournament.

The Uganda Christian University Nursing Science student fought valiantly to reach the round of 64 but was ultimately defeated by Azerbaijan's Khadija Abilzade in a closely contested match, ending 3-2 at Messe Essen Hall-1 on Monday. 

Wotanabeera lost the first two sets 11-2 and 11-8 before bouncing back to equalise with impressive performances in the third and fourth sets, winning 11-5 and 11-8. However, she fell short in the decisive set, losing 11-3.

Iryn Wotanabeera enjoys lunch at the dining hall. Photo by Michael Nsubuga

“I messed up in the last set, but I had really warmed up for this match for about two hours, unlike in my opening match. I wish I could ask for rematches! Two matches, and my FISU debut ends? No! I feel like I want to play more now. But it’s a good learning experience, and I can build on that for future tournaments,” Wotanabeera said.

In another event on Monday, lawn tennis player Patience Athieno achieved a confidence-building victory, winning 6-0, 6-1 against Zimbabwe’s M. Iona in the consolation matches. She was scheduled to compete against Finland’s Maria Aleksandra Aino Alkio by press time on Tuesday. Other Ugandan players, including Christiana Owomuhangi, Frank Tayebwa, and Trevor Solomon Kazibwe, did not earn the consolation they deserved after being eliminated from the main event. 

They lost in straight sets (2-0 each) to Colombia’s Susan Quintero Tobon, Chile’s Diego Caracci, and Victor Andres Sklenka, respectively. Ugandan swimmers Trevor Kimuli and Dorah Nankunda also participated in their 50m breaststroke and backstroke races on Monday, finishing with times of 32.28 and 50.58 seconds, respectively.