Angella Okutoyi is looking to use her Paris 2024 Olympics miss as motivation to fire her to the 2024 Games in Los Angeles and she is tuning up in America for that dream.
Kenya’s tennis sensation Angela Okutoyi came close to making history when she nearly qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The 20-year-old won the African Games, ending Kenya’s 40-year wait for the title, and thought she had secured the coveted Olympics ticket.
However, she later learnt that it was not enough and she needed to be ranked in the top 400 in the world to seal qualification.
Okutoyi would feature in a number of tournaments to get the required ranking but by the close of the qualification period, she had not attained the standard, slamming the door on her.
“Missing the Olympics really hit me a lot. After winning the Africa Games, I knew that I had qualified but with the rules, there was nothing I could do,” Okutoyi told Telecomasia.net.
Angela Okutoyi is the favorite to win the finals of the W35 Women’s World Tour after the teen sensation powered her way into the finals. Fireworks is expected in Nairobi as she renews rivalry with Chinese Taipei’s Joanna Garland.
“I think if we had known the rule change early enough, I would have strived to play more tournaments. It is hard for some of us in college who are not fully professional to make it into more tournaments within such a short period of time.
“It was really frustrating but the good thing is that I had people around me who really supported me, especially in College. It didn’t happen and I move on, I now focus on the future,” said Okutoyi who now studies in the United States at Alabama-based Auburn University.
It was a rare low moment for the player, whose star has been shining brightly, but she wants to use that painful experience as the fuel to fire her to the next Olympics, the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
“I have all my eyes on the LA Games and I know I can qualify and attain that dream. I have more time now to play more tournaments and improve my ranking and I am so much confident that this time round, I will be on Team Kenya for the Olympics. I am hungrier, better and I am more determined,” she added.
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Tennis Kenya’s appeal for Angella Okutoyi’s Olympic qualification was denied dashing her dreams of representing Kenya in Paris 2024.
Okutoyi was eligible to turn pro three years ago but chose to enroll at the US college, after getting a tennis and education scholarship, as she did not have the funds to sustain a pro career at that stage, choosing to kill two birds with one stone as she is now studying for her degree while honing her tennis skills.
“It has been pretty nice to be honest and I have enjoyed the ride. College tennis in the US is different especially because of the atmosphere and when you are serving or playing there would be people shouting and making noise and you have to be mentally locked in all the time,” she went on.
“I think that has really helped me. The training there is nice, my teammates are really fun to train with and very competitive and this has really been a great experience for me.”
The tennis star admits balancing between her studies and tennis has been hectic but she has already found a fine balance and is now looking to make the most of the opportunities at her disposal.
Part of it is featuring in a number of key tournaments, having started her 2025 season with a second-place finish at the W35 Women’s World Tour Finals in Nairobi last month.
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Kenya’s tennis ace Angella Okutoyi has given the reasons why she decided to enroll into an American university instead of tuning professional.
