•In Morocco, Lisa played her first singles match against Nigeria’s Offiong Edem who was ranked 3rd in Africa at the time.
•She finished second in the 2021 national secondary school games in Kisumu before taking silver at the East Africa Games in Tanzania.
Image: HANDOUT
Spurred on by the scintillating Egyptian flair of multiple Africa champion Dina Meshref, Kenya’s fast-rising Lisa Wele is determined to work her way up the coveted ladder of stardom.
The second-year University of Nairobi Bachelor of Arts student is among the four Kenyan ladies lined up for the forthcoming “Africa Festival of Table Tennis” at Kasarani’s Indoor gymnasium from May 1-6.
She will compete alongside Bahati Rufina, Lydia Setey and Mary Kinuthia who savoured a wildcard entry.
“My role model is Dina Meshref from Egypt and Aruna Quadri from Nigeria. I passionately admire their style of play and how they perform worldwide.”
Wele is an alumnus of St. Monica’s Girls School, Kitale, which is considered Kenya’s cradle for girls’ table tennis.
She represented the country at 2019 All Africa Games in Morocco, the 2021 Africa Senior Club Championships in Cameroon and most recently, the 2023 Eastern Regional qualifiers in Djibouti.
Stage fright is one of the sporting facets that all athletes have to deal with at some point in their careers, but for Wele it doesn’t exist in her world.
“With experience and practice, stage fright has become less of an issue for me. I have learned to manage my nerves and perform to the best of my ability despite immense pressure. I see my table tennis improving in the next 5 years with consistent training and dedication to the sport.”
“I hope to be competing at a higher level and in more competitive tournaments. So rubbing shoulders with the likes of Dina will definitely provide stepping stones for success,” expounded Lisa.
Wele started playing table tennis in 2017 when she joined Form One at St. Monica’s Girls High School, Kitale. She was inspired by Justus Gichuki who was her school coach.
“I realised I had the table tennis bug when I found myself constantly thinking about the game and wanting to improve my skills. I also won my first local championship at Oshwal Open’s doubles in Nairobi and racked up 2nd position in the singles while still a Form One and with only four months of training.”
But one of Lisa’s biggest challenges then was a critical balancing act to perform well in both sports and school work.
“I was required to perform well in my academics by scoring good grades as well as striving to join the school team since I had taken up the sport much later than the others who had joined earlier than me.”
In Morocco, Lisa played her first singles match against Nigeria’s Offiong Edem who was ranked 3rd in Africa at the time.
She finished second in the 2021 national secondary school games in Kisumu before taking silver at the East Africa Games in Tanzania.
She participated in Kibabi’s 2021 and 2023 KUSF National University Games, winning gold on both occasions.