Waiting game for Okutoyi as Tennis Kenya lodge appeal seeking spot in Paris Olympics

Kenyan tennis star Angella Okutoyi will have to wait for an official decision by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) in the coming weeks to confirm whether she will be boarding the plane to take part in this year’s Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

This comes after Tennis Kenya put up an appeal to the sport’s governing body, asking for the 20-year-old to be considered for the Summer Games on the basis of her African Games triumph this year, and the battery of qualification events she has participated in to make the cut.

Okutoyi, who needed to be in the top 400 positions in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings by 10 June, saw her Olympic qualification hopes take a final hit after suffering a Round of 32 exit in Tunisia’s W50 La Marsa tournament on Wednesday.

The 2022 Junior Wimbledon Doubles champion, needing a win in the tournament, fell to Russia’s Daria Kudashova 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, a result that meant that she wasn’t in line to break into the top 400 places (being at 502), effectively ending her Paris Games hopes.

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That, added to the fact that Kenya doesn’t qualify for the two available tennis universality places accorded by the Olympic Games Tripartite Commission, meant that there was little to cling hopes on.

However, in a report first filed by Nation Sport, Okutoyi could stand a chance, at least through an appeal to ITF made by Tennis Kenya Secretary General Wanjiru Mbugua.

“We have put in an appeal to the ITF Board to consider Angella’s case because the African Games postponement from August 2023 to March 2024 only gave her two months to make the cut as opposed to eight months,” Mbugua said on Wednesday.

Going by the IOC rules, players seeking to make the Olympics through Continental Qualification, ought to have been in the top 400 if declared singles champion, something Okutoyi hadn’t achieved when she beat Egyptian opponent Lamis Elhussein Abdelaziz 6-4, 6-2 in Accra to become the first Kenyan to win the African title in 46 years.

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Since then, the 2023 Kenya Open Champion has graced tournaments in Charlottesville, Florida, Bethany Beach and Monastir, all with the aim of qualifying to Paris.

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But as it stands, her efforts could go down the drain, as world number 72 Mayar Sherif (Egypt) could take up her position.

“Okutoyi has put in her best and we are very proud of her,” Wanjiru added. “We keep the hope alive that she will make it to Paris 2024.”

Having made the appeal, it is expected that the ITF governing body will have a joint sitting next week, before announcing their decision.

If in favor of Tennis Kenya, Okutoyi will then become the first Kenyan tennis player to compete at the Olympic Games.