Accra, Ghana — Sierra Leone has etched its name into African table tennis history after 17-year-old Naomi Coker secured a bronze medal in the Under-19 Girls’ Singles at the 2026 ITTF Africa Youth Championships.
Coker, competing in her debut for Sierra Leone, reached the semi-finals of the U19 Girls’ Singles event held at the Borteyman Sports Complex.
She shared the bronze with Algeria’s Tania Morice. Egypt’s Habiba Elbasoumy took gold, while Algeria’s Jade Morice claimed silver.
The achievement marks Sierra Leone’s first-ever medal at the ITTF Africa Youth Championships (also referred to as the Africa Youth Cup in some reports).
Coker, a former England youth champion who won Cadet National Singles and Doubles titles in 2023, switched allegiance to Sierra Leone, the country of her father’s birth, after leaving England’s talent pathway. Her appearance also signalled Sierra Leone’s return to the continental youth championships after years away.
Earlier in the tournament, Coker gained experience in the U19 mixed team event, partnering Tunisia’s Wassim Essid. The pair recorded a first-round win before falling to Egypt’s Gaber Yassin and Habiba Elbasoumy.
The championships, running from mid-to-late July 2026 and organised by the Ghana Table Tennis Association under the African Table Tennis Federation, featured strong performances across the continent. Egypt dominated the medal table, while hosts Ghana celebrated a historic U15 mixed doubles gold their first continental table tennis title in nearly four decades, along with other podium finishes.
Coker’s bronze stands as a landmark moment for Sierra Leonean table tennis and raises expectations for the country’s future on the African and international stages.
