Babatunde, Gbotemi win KWAFEST 8.0 badminton finals 2-0

Abdullateef Babatunde of Ilorin East won the men’s singles badminton title at KWAFEST 8.0 with a 2-0 victory over Ibrahim Ayobami of Ilorin South. Adekunle Gbotemi then secured the women’s singles gold for Ilorin South by defeating her sister, Adekunle Feranmi of Asa, 2-0.

Babatunde took control of the men’s final in the opening game, which he won 21-17. He maintained that advantage in the second game, finishing 21-12 to complete a straight-games victory and add another gold medal to Ilorin East’s collection at the Kwara State Sports Festival.

Ayobami pushed to stay in contention but could not change the direction of the contest. His run to the final earned him the men’s singles silver medal, while Babatunde’s win gave Ilorin East another success as the eighth edition of the festival continued.

The women’s final produced an all-Adekunle contest between Gbotemi and Feranmi, who represented different local government areas. Gbotemi won the first game 21-13 and followed it with a 21-12 result in the second to take the championship without dropping a game in the knockout rounds.

Gbotemi had reached the final after overcoming Khairat Abdulkadir of Ilorin West in the semi-final. Feranmi secured her place in the decider by beating Babatunde Laide of Ilorin East, but she was unable to prevent her sister from completing the title-winning run.

The two singles finals added gold medals for Ilorin East and Ilorin South and highlighted the competition among athletes representing Kwara’s local government areas. Badminton remains part of the ongoing KWAFEST 8.0 programme, with further events still to be decided.