For Jenny Compell Amadi, it was a burst of firsts. First African Games. First time meeting many of her heroes. First time being on an airplane, also the first for anyone in her family. What did she think of her first flight? "I felt like the world was ending," she recalls, only joking a little bit. The 11-year-old from Kenya recently won the Kenyan junior trials, earning her a spot in Rabat, host of the 2019 African Games. "The Olympics is where champions meet champions of the world," she says. "I want to go for the Olympics for the youth and the other for the big people." One of those big people, Dina Meshref of Egypt, gamely took the time to practice with Jenny. "I like Dina Meshref because she is the best," says Amadi. Since that interview, even more evidence has emerged to support that claim. World #49 Meshref has since claimed her second consecutive singles title in the quadrennial African Games, a straight-sets victory over Sarah Hanffou of Cameroon. Meshref is a dynasty unto herself, and as such her win was largely expected. For the men's singles champion, not so much. Making his debut at the African games, Olajide Omotayo of Nigeria certainly made the most of it. Ranked 124th in the world, he was seeded sixth in Rabat. After upsetting the #2 seed, Egypt's Ahmed Ali Saleh, and his countryman and #4 seed Segun Toriola, Omotayo claimed an unlikely spot in the finals with another compatriot. Quadri Aruna, the top seed by dint of his #22 world ranking, was the prohibitive favorite. Omotayo, however, was unpersuaded by this line of thinking, securing a hard-fought win with a tight (13-11, 11-9, 16-14, 8-11, 12-14, 12-10) scoreline. As Jenny Compell Amadi from Kenya says, "If they can dream it, they can achieve it." With so many inspiring firsts this week, Amadi is even more inspired to cross another fun first off her bucket list. "I want to be the first one to bring a gold medal in Kenya for the Olympics," she says.

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