African games: Nigeria gets two table tennis medals as competition begins
As competition begins at the 13th African Games in Ghana, Nigeria have won two medals in the table tennis event. SportsRation reports.
The medals arrived through table tennis stars Quadri Aruna and Offiong Edem.
In the men’s singles final, African champion Quadri Aruna faced tough competition from Egypt’s Omar Assar, ultimately settling for the silver medal after a hard-fought match that ended 3-4 in Assar’s favor.
Meanwhile, Offiong Edem secured a bronze medal in the women’s singles category, conceding to Egypt’s Dina Meshref in the semifinals with a score of 0-4.
Offiong Edem credited her impressive performance to her participation in the recent World Championships held in Korea. She expressed her gratitude to the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) for their support, emphasizing how the experience gained from international competitions significantly enhanced her skills for the African Games.
Edem said, “I am so happy that we were able to attend the last World Championships in Korea and this really helped my game a lot. I want to thank the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) for their support and I believe attending such competition really helped me personally here in Ghana”.
Reflecting on the dominance of North African countries like Egypt in table tennis, Edem highlighted the importance of consistent participation in global tournaments. She noted that Egypt’s frequent presence in such competitions gives them an edge over Nigeria, underscoring the need for increased support to elevate Nigeria’s position in African table tennis.
She added: “The Egyptians are ahead of us because they attend more competitions than us and we hope we can get more support to return to the top of the game in Africa”.
