Angella Okutoyi made history at Wimbledon. She became the first Kenyan to win a Grand Slam tournament in doubles (junior). Since then, the 18-year-old has become an icon and an inspiration in her country.
Kenya is known for its long-distance runners who dominate world athletics. But the East African country is famous for another sport: tennis. And Angella Okutoyi is the Kenyan sensation. She made history by becoming the first player from her country to win the Wimbledon tournament in doubles (junior). With her Dutch teammate Rose Marie Nijkamp, they beat the Canadian duo Kayla Cross-Victoria Mboko 3-6, 6-4 (11-9).
Since winning the title on London grass, Kenya has been ecstatic. "What we are saying to Africa is that the drums are beating for Angella," exclaimed Wanjiru Mbugua-Karani, secretary general of Tennis Kenya to ITF.com. She adds. "I can tell you right now that we don't get live streams in Kenya, but everyone will have followed Angella Okutoyi's match on live scores. From players of other sports to government officials, Kenya is following Angella",.
History has been made
Angella Okutoyi 🇰🇪 and Rose Marie Nijkamp 🇳🇱 win the Girls' Doubles final making Angella the FIRST Kenyan player to win a Grand Slam!#Wimbledon | @tennis_kenya pic.twitter.com/gISp6njiua
- ITF (@ITFTennis) July 9, 2022
The 18 year old Kenyan girl was revealed to the public at the Australian Open where she reached the third round in the junior singles. Since then, it's been a rush of kids to the tennis courts. "The media has helped me a lot. Since that time in Australia, a lot of people have started to recognize me. This has always been a dream for me and my country. I have inspired a lot of players in Kenya now. A lot of people want to play," said Okutoyi.
Okutoyi was able to achieve this through the International Tennis Federation's (ITF) Grand Slam Player Development Program, which targets talented players from developing countries. With the help of Tennis Kenya, the ITF provided training and funded Okutoyi's trip to Paris for the French Open, which ended with a first-round singles loss. At Wimbledon, she was the first Kenyan girl to appear since Susan Wakhungu in 1978. Tunisian Ons Jabeur also benefited from the ITF program.
Angela Okutoyi gets a heroic welcome from Sports CS Amina Mohamed and fans after becoming the first Kenyan to win at the Wimbledon finals pic.twitter.com/tLW3mhekHV
— TeamKenya.co.ke (@TeamKenyaKE) July 12, 2022
