Nigeria bagged her first gold medal in the men’s doubles event on Wednesday at the just concluded ITTF 2015 Africa Senior Table Tennis Championship in Cairo, Egypt.
The final was an all-Nigerian affair after Nigerian representatives, Aruna Quadri/Kazeem Makanjuola and Onaolapo Ojo/Jide Ogidiolu hurled over Egyptian oppositions in the semi-final.
The duo of Aruna Quadri and Kazeem Makanjuola defeated their compatriots Onaolapo Ojo and Jide Ogidiolu to be crowned Africa’s best doubles team.
However, Aruna Quadri was defeated by Egyptian Mohamed El-Beiali in the quarter finals of the men’s single event on Wednesday.
Aruna, Africa’s number one ranked table tennis player and ITTF Stars Player of the Year, had been tipped as favourite for the gold medal in the event but succumbed to his first defeat in the competition.
Nigeria was represented in the male events by Quadri, Ojo, Ogidiolu and home based player Makanjuola whilst in the women category Funke Oshonaike, Atinuke Olaide, Edem Offiong and Cecilia Otu-Akpan represented the country.
The tournament started on Jan.23 and ended Jan. 29. Nigeria finished the competition with six medals – one gold, three silver and two bronze.
About the Author: Arinze Ude (@arturozinga) is an aspiring cancer research scientist with a master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences (Haematology). He is keen on building partnerships and managing the careers of Nigerian sportsmen and women. He blogs at
http://arturozinga.wordpress.com
