ISRAEL AKLIE WINS THRILLING MATCH AGAINST WORLD NUMBER ONE JOSEPH SEBATINDRA OF UGANDA IN U-15 TEAMS EVENT AT THE AFRICAN YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS.
In a battle for supremacy, and a place in the quarter finals of the teams event at the onging African Youth Championships in Nigeria, Israel Aklie, Ghana’s table tennis whizkid delivered a masterclass performance against Uganda’s Joseph Sebatindira to lead Ghana to a thrilling 3–1 win in the Under-15 Boys Team event.
Aklie beat Uganda’s Joseph Sebatindira, who is the current ITTF World number one in the Under-11 category, in a dramatic five-set encounter that underscored his maturity, confidence, and mental toughness.
Their history goes back to Botswana in 2024, where Israel Aklie defeated Joseph Sebatindira 3-0 to win gold at the inauragural ITTF African Hopes Programme, a moment that put Ghana firmly on the continental radar.
At the 2025 ITTF African Hopes Programme in Lagos , it was Joseph Sebatindira who gained a narrow 3–2 win to bring the head-to-head to 1-1.
With the stakes so high and rivalry renewed, both put out their best performance to the applause of the whole stadium
The intense clash between Aklie and Sebatindira was more than just a match, it was the latest chapter in a growing rivalry between two of Africa’s finest young athletes; the future torch bearers.
With national pride on the line, Israel Aklie flipped the script and imposed his supremacy defeating Joseph Sebatindira 3–2 (11–9, 9–11, 11–6, 9–11, 11–8) in a match full of tension, tactics, and beautiful display of skills.
Aklie had earlier won 3–1 over Nsereko Sharif (11–6, 11–6, 7–11, 11–5), however Uganda drew level Joseph Sebatindira with defeating Prince Aklie to make the scores 1-1. Ghana’s Hamza Issah put Ghana back into the lead with a 3-1 win over Ibrahim Mutesasira.
With Aklie’s sweet victory, Ghana has qualified to the quarter-final stage of the team’s event and will face Cameroon for a place in the medal zone
Both Israel Aklie and Joseph Sebatindira have earned spots to represent Africa at the 2025 ITTF World Hopes Week & Challenge in Sheffield, UK (October 13–19).
