Table Tennis Star Hana Goda Becomes Youngest Africa Cup Champion

Hana Goda, the 14-year-old table tennis star, made history today by becoming the youngest player to ever win the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Africa Cup for women’s table tennis in Lagos, Nigeria.

Goda won against 23 year old Nigerian champion, Fatimoh Bello. She had previously defeated the defending champion Dina Meshref, and then progressed to face Bello in a fate-deciding match.

Earlier this month, Goda was appointed as the ambassador of the Shabab Ballad United Nations Initiative. She also participated in the Tokyo Summer Olympics at just 13 years old, making her the youngest Egyptian Olympian ever.

This is not Goda's first champion title; at 13, Goda was the Ahly club’s table tennis champion of all ages. At 12 years old she was named ‘the 2020 wonder girl’ by the Olympic committee, after getting the top spot at the ITTF under-15 world rankings.