Okutoyi sets sight on Olympics qualification

Two-time African tennis champion and Wimbledon Doubles winner Angella Okutoyi says her biggest dream is featuring at the Olympics, a feat she intends to achieve in Paris next year.

Okutoyi has been breaking new barriers, her biggest so far coming in July last year, when she put Kenya on the global map, lifting the 2022 Wimbledon Girls' Doubles title to become the first ever Kenyan player to win any Grand Slam Tournament.

“I have a lot of accomplishments, a two-time African champion and a Wimbledon doubles champion being top of that list. However, qualifying for the Olympics will be a big dream come true for me,” she said in a video shared by National Olympics Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) on their Team Kenya social media platforms. 

The 19-year-old says that being at the Olympics would mean everything to her.

“From when I was young, especially in school, everyone would talk about how big the Games are and how being an Olympian would change one's life and career in whichever field they are in. Qualifying would not only help me achieve my dreams in tennis but also put Kenyan tennis on the world stage,” she continued.

“Qualifying for the Games would also make me the first Kenyan tennis player to be an Olympian. It would help me show Kenyan kids that how one begins their journey doesn't determine the ending.”

The main qualifying criterion will be the players' positions on the ATP and WTA ranking lists published on 10 June 2024 but mush have been part of the two Billie Jean King Cup (women) or Davis Cup (men) events between Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.

For the singles, the top 56 players in the world rankings on 10 June 2024 of the WTA and ATP tours will qualify for the Olympics, respecting the four-player limit per NOC and gender.

Those ranked outside the top 56 and from NOCs with less than four entries are permitted to compete. There are is a slot reserved for the Africa Games, Asian Games and Pan America champions.