Angela Okutoyi alongside Dutch Rose Nijkam on Saturday morning dedicated her Championship win to kenyans. “I’m already thinking of the US Open. My preparations will begin shortly and am relishing the challenge of competing with the best in the world,” said Okutoyi. But, Who is Angela Okutoyi ? Continue reading to find out !
After winning Wimbledon Junior championships , Angela Okutoyi has been enlisted for Womens’ Futures tournament in Egypt and Tunisia this month.
WHO IS ANGELA OKUTOYI
EARLY CHILDHOOD
Angela Okutoyi was born in Pumwani Maternity Hospital . She was orphaned at Birth. Angela Okutoyi Over came the challenges of life to rise to the very top of her career at only 18 years. She has her twin sister, Roselida Asumwa . Angela and her twin sister have never set eyes on their mother who passed away during labour in 2004.
Her grand mother Mary Ndonda gave her the name Angela. Her name , Okutoyi, was given to her by her grand father. Her grand mother worked as a cook in Loreto Convent .
“We started with nothing, she (grandmother) had four jobs to keep me on the pitch, at one time we slept on the couch. For a family with no money, we may have looked and sounded crazy. Children would laugh at us, call us names, we became the joke, but we kept our heads down. We did our fighting with actions on track,” said Okutoyi.
“I come from a humble background. Growing up, I was heavily into sports like cricket and tennis and my grandmother and coach were very supportive, but I knew deep down the expenses were a lot for them to manage,” said Angela.
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EDUCATION BACKGROUND
Angela and her sister studied at Mbagathi Primary School . For the most part, Angela is schooled at the East Africa Tennis Centre—a private facility where most of the time she trains. She is also a project the International Tennis Federation (ITF) project.
Due to a lot of traveling, she always learns online through the support of ITF
AWARDS
Angela has won quiet number of awards both locally and internationally. In 2018, she was the youngest player to win the Kenya Open . Angela is also currently ranked Position 186 in the World in the ITF Junior Rankings .“As a child, I have slept hungry for consecutive nights and depended on goodwill from my coach Joe, so I know what it’s like to not have any money. I didn’t have proper tennis gear, I used to borrow old stuff from others,” said Angela.
According to her sister Roselida , to be able to win awards at such a young age takes a lot of responsibility.
“She is already a member of the Kenyan Fed Cup team and individually, a brilliant player locally and in the region. She teaches me the value of hardwork and pushes me to strive to be the best. She might be young, but the way she handles all that comes her way is amazing,” Roselida says.
CONCLUSION
Rugoi , a former played congratulated Angela Okutoyi on her Big wins. “I hope that after all the congratulatory messages, people will support her push when she takes part in tournaments. As we speak, she is supported by volunteers which is not ideal. She needs a full-time team working with her to harness her potential in her,” added Rogoi.
Angela Okutoyi has won the hearts of many through her dedication, hard work and passion for the sport. She is indeed a national treasure .
