Egypt’s El-Sayed Lashin has vowed that his ambition would not be truncated by any Nigerian player.
He has tasted defeat in the hand of Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri during the ITTF Africa Top 16 Cup in Lagos and at this year’s ITTF Africa Cup in Cameroon.
As the defending champion of the championship, Lashin admitted that it will be a tall order for him to retain the title this year.
To lift the trophy on Oyo, Congo Brazzaville in 2013, Lashin had to dig deep to overcome compatriot, Ahmed Saleh 4-3.
But the ageing Egyptian is aware that a lot of players in Africa are now at home with his style of play while the quality of upcoming players is also a major headache for the North African.
For him, his compatriots and Nigerian players and Congo Brazzaville are major threats to his ambition of clinching the diadem in Yaoundé.
“I must also say that my teammates as well as top players from Nigeria and Congo Brazzaville are the strong contenders as well and I am hoping that I can reenact the feat that helped me to win the title in 2013.
Nigerian players are always our rivals but I am sure this year, none of them will prevent us from clinching the title this year,” Lashin said.
Lashin will not want to remember his final 4-2 loss to Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri at the 2014 Africa Top 16 Cup in Lagos.
Narrating his level of preparation for the tournament, Lashin said: “I was in China for some weeks to prepare for the ITTF African Cup, All Africa Games and Olympics qualifiers. But I am back in Cairo for the Ramadan, which is a great month for all Muslims across the globe.”
Emphasizing the seriousness the continent attached to the tournament, Lashin said: “The competition always have the best in Africa and surely I expect to see quality players and I must admit the competition will be very hard and it is not going to be easy for any player this year. Most players and teams are in readiness for the big event of the year which is the All Africa Games.”
Like an optimist Lashin said: “I hope I can retain the trophy to be able to represent Africa again t the World Cup. I will surely do my best to win the cup and I hope my best will be enough this time around.”