The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ITTF Africa Olympics Qualification Tournament

  • Rio Olympics: How I qualified – Toriola

    Rio Olympics: How I qualified – Toriola

    A satisfied Segun Toriola received a standing ovation from fans present at the ITTF Africa Olympics Qualification Tournament after clinching his place at the Rio 2016 Olympics in Brazil.

    The song ‘Stand up for the Champion’; reverberated the venue as the announcer echo Toriola’s name with a lot of applauds accompanying it.

    However, Toriola who qualified for his seventh Olympics appearance was quick to tell NationSport that it was not what people see that he witnessed during the qualifiers.

    “I am telling you that I felt the heat throughout the competition because as favourite I was under intense pressure. I was also careful and trying to play save because most of the players are determined and ready to defeat me. Every match I played was with cautions and I must also admit that I was determined and eager to make it to Rio,” he admitted.

    He added: “I am very happy and so excited because I never believe I could be playing in my seventh Olympics of my career. I am happy that I made history as the first African to achieve this feat. It was a bit difficult for me because I played under a lot of pressure. I knew it was going to be easy because I was the favourite before the competition, but I was cautions as most of the players wanted to beat me. I ensured I was not too confident in all my matches and I played with a lot of caution. I am glad that I made it and I hope to now focus on the preparation which is very vital to me as well.”

    Cameroun’s Sarah Hanffou told NationSport that Toriola deserves applaud as he has become a shining example for the continent. “When I was growing up in Paris, France, I have hearing about Toriola and I knew a lot of people talked about him because of his talent.

    “Being an African I was impressed that an African could be respected in Europe and I think he deserves a lot of commendation for his feat particularly as the most decorated table tennis player in the continent. He is a pride of Africa and I am happy for him and wish him well at the Rio 2016 Olympics,” the erstwhile Arican champion said.

  • This is my toughest tournament, Edem admits

    This is my toughest tournament, Edem admits

    After escaping being sent packing from the ITTF Africa Olympics Qualification Tournament, Offiong Edem was quick to admit that this is toughest competition she ever played.

    A satisfied Edem told NationSport after beating Algeria’s Islem Laid 4-2 in the quarterfinal that she was nervous throughout the match and that she was fortunate to have escaped.

    “I must tell you that since I have been playing tournament this is the toughest competition I had ever played because I was nervous and I could not get my rhythm from the beginning to the end of the match. My mind was on the game because it is an Olympics qualification and all the players are capable of qualifying. This is not based on ranking but on performance,” she said.

    The former African champion whose mind is on making her third appearance at the Olympics believes she is even more afraid in the tournament as any mistake might cause ones exit. “I have been so nervous like this even at the African Games or World Championships and you cannot underrate any player because they are also aiming to make it to the Olympics being the biggest stage for every athlete.”

    With a target of picking one of the two slots, Edem will battle against another Algerian – Lynda Loghraibi in the semifinal, which is the final match to decide the two players that will qualify for Rio.

  • ITTF Africa: Toriola, Edem inch closer to Olympics’ dream

    ITTF Africa: Toriola, Edem inch closer to Olympics’ dream

    Segun Toriola’s dream of making it to the seventh Olympic Games in Brazil is getting closer after the former African champion dominated Group One in the preliminary stage of the ITTF Africa Olympics Qualification Tournament holding in Khartoum, Sudan.

    Also, Edem Offiong who finished fourth at the ITTF Africa Top 16 Cup is getter a ray of hope of playing in her third Olympics after coming top in Group One of the women’s preliminaries.

    Paris-based Cameroun’s Sarah Hanffou also had an easy ride to the second round while the omly upset in the first stage was caused by unseeded Tunisia’s Safa Saidani who defeated number 10 seed, Algeria’s Isem Laid 3-1 to put her Olympics dream on the right track.

    The 24 year-old Tunisian told NationSport after the match that, “My dream is to become African champion because I train very hard in Tunis but I did not have quality players to train with. Most of the female players in Tunisia are juniors and I must be playing with top players to be able to get stronger in the game.

    I noticed that Nigerian players have always being my waterloo in major tournaments in Africa. Specifically, Olufunke Oshonaike has been my undoing in tournaments but I know that as I continue to work hard, my dream of ruling the continent will be getting closer,” Safa Saidani said.

    She described the victory over Algeria’s Islem Laid as a morale booster of her dream of picking one of the two slots for the Rio 2016 Olympics. “This is the first time I would be playing against Islem and I am happy that I was able to defeat her because she is a good player.

    “I most times find it difficult to play against any playing using pimples but today my service and my forehand were my saving grace against her. I will continue to work hard and I know that being my appearance at the Olympics qualifiers, I still have more years ahead of me to feature in future events and hopefully I will fulfil my dream.”

    On Wednesday, the tournament continues with the knockout stage while the finalists in the men and women events will automatically qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.

  • ITTF Africa Olympics: Toriola begins chase for seventh appearance

    ITTF Africa Olympics: Toriola begins chase for seventh appearance

    To set a new Nigeria and Africa records, 42 year-old Nigeria’s Segun Toriola will today in Khartoum at the ITTF Africa Olympics Qualification Tournament begins chase for his seventh appearance at the multi-sports championship holding in Brazil.

    Toriola, who is at present the most successful table tennis player in the continent have won more than 20 individual gold medals at the African Games while still remains the most successful player at the Olympics after making it to the fourth round in the men’s singles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in China has featured in all Olympics since making his debut at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics in Spain.

    Apart from being winning more medals at the African Games, Toriola, who is also the most decorated player in all continental competition will be battling for the two slots in the men’s event alongside another ageing star, Nigeria-born Congo Brazzaville’s warlord, Saka Suraju who is also his targeting his third appearance at the Olympics.

    Toriola who narrowly missed out from qualifying at the 2015 African Games is aiming for the slot and he told NationSport recently that he would love to fulfil his dream of returning to the Olympics.

    At the last African Games in Congo Brazzaville, Toriola single-handedly aided Nigeria’s dominance against Egypt in the men’s team event after beating the best player in the continent, Egypt’s Omar Assar to pave way for Nigeria to claim gold in the event at the expense of the North Africans.

    Also, Nigeria’s Edem Offiong will be hoping to the Olympics as she will also be competing in the women event for one of the two slots at stake in their category. Offiong, who recently returned to Portugal after the African Games has vowed to work her way to Brazil in Sudan. “I will love to go to the Olympics after attending Athens 2004 and London 2012. This is the biggest stage in sports and for me, I think I am capable of achieving my dream in Sudan having trained well in my club in Portugal,” she boasted.

    Already, Aruna Quadri and Olufunke Oshonaike has secured their places in Brazil while the jostle for continental slots in the men and women team event will hold at the World Team Championship in Malaysia this month.

    28 athletes from Algeria, Ghana, Sudan, Libya, Madagascar, Togo, Cote d’Ivoire, Congo DRC, Burundi, Morocco, Tunisia and Kenya will compete for the two slots remaining for men in Africa while 16 will slug it out for the two slots in the women.