The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Olalekan Okusan

  • Quadri leaps to 25th in the world

    Quadri leaps to 25th in the world

    … Sets new African record

    Few weeks after setting the continental record as the first African to berth in the quarterfinal of the table tennis event of the Olympic Games, Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri has again inked another feat after leaping to 25 in the world in the September ITTF ranking released late on Monday.

    Quadri who two years ago was listed in top 300 has defied all odds to prove bookmakers wrong with his extra-ordinary performance on the global stage which has made him the outstanding African table tennis player in the world.

    Prior to being named the 2014 ITTF Star Player, Quadri in Dusseldorf, Germany became the first African to make it to the quarterfinal stage of the ITTF World Cup and since then, his world rating has continue to soar.

    At the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, he played his heart out beating some of the world’s best including former world number one, Germany’s Timo Boll to make it to the last eight of the Olympic Games as the first African to attain such height in table tennis.

    In August 2016, Quadri was ranked 40th in the world with 2305 points, but his scintillating outing in Brazil earned him 152 points for him to garner 2457points in the September  to become the first player in Africa to be rated among the top 25 in the world.

      Beyond his world rating, Quadri is also listed among the most active players in the world based on his latest points.

      Africa’s most decorated table tennis star and a member of the ITTF ‘7’ Club, Segun Toriola’s efforts at Rio were rewarded as the seventh time Olympian moved from 120 to 106 in the ranking, while Egypt’s Omar Assar remains the continent number two. Assar who was edged out in the second round of the Rio Olympic Games by Ukraine’s Lei Kou dropped from 55 to 56 in the world.

      Despite dropping to 118 from 110, Egypt’s Dina Meshref remains the top ranked African female player, while Nigeria’s duo of Edem Offiong and Olufunke Oshonaike were not lucky as well with Offiong dropping from 120 to 129 while Oshonaike dropped from 241 to 251.

  • Rio 2016 paralympics: Obiora on another medal chase

    Rio 2016 paralympics: Obiora on another medal chase

  • Olympic tennis: Quadri to set another world record

    With his performance at the last Rio 2016 Olympic Games, African champion, Aruna Quadri will be setting another world ranking record when the September ITTF rating is released this weekend.

    The Nigerian in 2014 became the first African to make the top 30 in the world following his scintillating performance at the 2014 ITTF World Cup where he made it to the quarterfinal stage.

      And with his heroic feat in Rio, the Oyo State-born star is already the toast of fans across the world following his quarterfinal berth in Brazil where he defeated some of the top players in the world including former world number one, Germany’s Timo Boll.

    However, a partial ranking released after the Rio 2016 Olympic Games by the world table tennis ruling body, the Nigerian ranked 40thprior to the Olympic Games in Brazil has moved to 25th in the world as the first African to achieve such feat.

    The partial ranking was based on the points he garnered in Rio but there are indications that he may move higher when the September rating is made public this weekend.

    Meanwhile, Aruna Quadri’s continental rival, Egypt’s Omar Assar continued his free-fall in the partial rating as the former African champion dropped to 56 from 55 following his second round exit in Rio.

  • I’m not done with national team – Toriola

    I’m not done with national team – Toriola

    • Targets Tokyo 2020

    The first African to feature in seven Olympic Games, Segun Toriola believes he still a lot to offer in terms of his experience.

    The former African champion told NationSport on Monday in Lagos that his decision to continue with the national team was based on his passion for the sport that has brought him fame and fortune.

    “I think I can still continue playing for the national team because this is all I know how to do. Table tennis is my passion and I cannot be specific on when I would stop playing because my body can still carry me. I might be old in terms of age but when it comes to the game I am active. The motivation of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) coupled with the need to support the upcoming players is some of the things that inspired me to continue playing the game,” Toriola said.

    However, Toriola is hoping to be part of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan. “I am still one of the best in my sport despite my age and my consistency in table tennis which sees me playing in two top regular clubs in Europe would remain an added advantage for me as I continue to play in world class competitions,” said Toriola.

    He added: ““Being 42 years old is one thing-being fit enough to continue playing top table tennis is another.” He continued, “I am very discipline and I religiously follow the things that will continue to aid my fitness in the game. Come Tokyo 2020, I will still be good to represent Nigeria in top grade international competitions until after the Tokyo Olympics.”

    It would be recalled that Toriola was one of the stars at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games as the Nigerian was honoured by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) for his feat as the first table tennis and African athlete to compete at seven Olympic Games.

     

  • Eko athletics grand prix kicks off Tuesday

    As part of efforts to bring live into sports in Lagos, a two-day track and field meeting tagged Eko Athletics Grand Prix for all Lagos athletes will begin tomorrow at the Teslim Balogun satdium in Surulere,Lagos.

    Technical director of the Lagos Athletics Association, coach Tony Osheku told the media on Monday in Lagos that the meeting will start at eight in the morning and end at five in the evening for the two day duration of the meeting.

    “The Eko Athletics Grand Prix is the brain child of the Lagos Athletics Association headed by our amiable chairman,Professor Olatunde Makanju and we are using it to serve two purposes.The first is to use it to serve as selection trial to pick athletes who will represent Lagos state at the National Youth Games which will hold in Ilorin, Kwara state next month,’said Osheku, a former national middle distance king who trained Falilat Ogunkoya to two historic Olympic medals at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

    “The second purpose is to gauge the preparedness of our athletes for the National Sports Festival albeit we don’t know whether the festival will still hold this year or not,”he further said and listed events to be competed for at the Lagos meeting to include 100m, 200m, 400m, 1500m, 5000m, 100m and 110m hurdles as well as the 4x100m and 4x400m relays.

    “We also have some field events that will hold at the meeting.They are the long jump and shot put for boys and girls and men and women.Like I said earlier the competition is open to all Lagos athletes and there will be prize money for all events,’he further revealed.

  • ITTF world juniors: NTTF to unveil team this week

    ITTF world juniors: NTTF to unveil team this week

    The team that will represent Nigeria at the 2016 ITTF World Junior Championship in South Africa will be unveiled after days of rigorous training cum trails expected to be concluded this week.

    The 18 players in camp are expected to fight for shirts in the ten-man team that will fly the country’s flag at the global tournament.

    According to the coordinator of the camping exercise, Segun Toriola, the players have continued to give their best in order to be part of the team, adding that the final list would be made known this week.

    “There is no doubt that the players are eager to be part of the team to the tournament in South Africa and I am really impressed with the performance of the players in camp and I am hoping that we will select the best for the country. However, we will organise trial for them to pick the best hands and this will be our yardstick to name the team,” he said.

    However, some of the players in camp include Amadi Umeh, Abayomi Animasahun and Azeez Solanke, believe they cannot afford to miss their places in the team having been part of the team to Algiers where the team picked a spot to the global tournament.

    The invited players were part of the team that featured at the ITTF African Junior Championship in Algiers where they qualified for the World Juniors, while outstanding players from the National U-16 tournament also made it to the camp.

    For the President, Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), Wahid Oshodi, the camp becomes necessary as some of the players would tutor on the latest rudiment of the sport. “The selected players will later go into close camping before the championship in November and they will continue to train in readiness for the competition. Segun Toriola will surely depart to his base after the camping and we hope the coaches around can continue to sharpen the skills of the players before the tournament which has Egypt, Nigeria, Algeria and Tunisia representing Africa in Cape Town, South Africa.”

  • ITTF World Juniors: Fight for shirts hots up

    ITTF World Juniors: Fight for shirts hots up

    The fight for places in the Team Nigeria contingent to the 2016 ITTF World Junior Championship in South Africa hots up at the National Training Centre of Lagos National Stadium.

    According to the coordinator of the camping exercise, Segun Toriola, the players are given their best in order to be part of the team, adding that the final list would be made known by next week.

    “I am impressed with the response of the players because every one of them wants to make the team to South Africa. For now we will still be watching them because we intend to organise a trial where the best will be selected for the world championship in Cape Town, South Africa by end of the year,” he said.

    However, the duo of Abayomi Animasahun and Azeez Solanke believe they would make the team having been part of the team to Algiers where the team picked a spot to the global tournament.

    The invited players were part of the team that featured at the ITTF African Junior Championship in Algiers where they qualified for the World Juniors, while outstanding players from the National U-16 tournament also made it to the camp.

    For the President, Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), Wahid Oshodi, the camp becomes necessary as some of the players would tutor on the latest rudiment of the sport. “The selected players will later go into close camping before the championship in November and they will continue to train in readiness for the competition. Segun Toriola will surely depart to his base after the camping and we hope the coaches around can continue to sharpen the skills of the players before the tournament which has Egypt, Nigeria, Algeria and Tunisia representing Africa in Cape Town, South Africa.”

    NTTF will cater for the players’ feeding and accommodation while their states are expected to offset their transport fare.

  • Poor Rio outing: Calls for sports commission return thickens

    With Team Nigeria’s poor showing at the just concluded Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil, the call for the return of the scrapped National Sports Commission (NSC) continues to increase.

    Sports buffs believe the official bottleneck in the Ministry of Youth and Sports may have taken its toll on the preparation for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.

    They believe through the NSC, the bureaucracy can be eliminated to help in terms of preparation of athletes for major competitions.

    Speaking on local television on Monday, Sydney 2000 gold medalist, Enefiok Udo-Obong blamed the bottleneck in the ministry as a major factor to poor showing in Rio.

    The former athlete who was in Brazil for the Olympic Games said it is high time that the sports federations and the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) were empowered to run their various sports.

    “I think the idea of the Ministry of Youth and Sports is another major setback to sports because the bottleneck within the ministry has drawn us back in the sports. Funds should be released directly to the federations to run their various sports while the NOC coordinates and supervises them (federations).

    “It is pathetic that Great Britain that finished below Nigeria at the Atlanta 96 Olympic Games now finished second overall ahead of China while Nigeria managed to pick one bronze medal. We need to do something to help our sports at this time,” he said.

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  • Rio Wrap Up: ITTF recognizes Aruna Quadri’s rare feat

    Rio Wrap Up: ITTF recognizes Aruna Quadri’s rare feat

    Prior to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Aruna Quadri was never considered a potential star in the table tennis event but the Nigerian stunned the world with his excellent outing against the world’s best in Brazil.

    His performance remains one of the major high points of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games according to the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).

    In the Rio 2016 Wrap Up published at the weekend on the website of the world table tennis ruling body, Aruna was described as the Africa star of Rio.

    “The Men’s Singles event also featured fantastic performances from two players in particular: Hugo Calderano and Quadri Aruna. Calderano made full use of the home crowd advantage as the Brazilian negotiated the likes of Par Gerell and Tang Peng on his way to a round four finish,” ITTF said.

    The body added: “Nigerian contestant Aruna Quadri caused arguably the biggest upsets in the category as the 27th seed beat Chuang Chih-Yuan (6th) and Timo Boll (10th) before eventually exiting to Ma Long in the last eight – becoming the first African to reach that stage of an Olympic Table Tennis competition.”

    Quoting Quadri after the feat, “This is amazing, I don’t know what to say. My fans made me do this. Thank you for all the Brazilian spectators for their support. They gave me so much energy. This feels so good, it is a dream come true.”

    Also, the Women’s Singles tournament at Rio 2016 saw China’s Ding Ning win her first ever Olympic singles gold medal, after her victory over the London 2012 champion Li Xiaoxia (China). Both finalists brought their ‘A’ game as two of the world’s top competitors fought it out for the ultimate prize, but there could only be one winner and it was Ding who took it in the seventh game to seal the gold (11-9, 5-11, 14-12, 9-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-7).

    Sadly, Li Xiaoxia confirmed that Rio 2016 would be her final appearance for China, “It’s with pity to retire, but it’s for a better future.” Li added, “Life can’t be always sweet, and I’ll face my retirement with a smile. Thank you table tennis for everything that the sport has gave me.”

    Ma Long stood victorious over fellow compatriot Zhang Jike in the Men’s Singles final, as China won their second Table Tennis gold medal of the Games.

    With the top two seeds going head-to-head there was potential for a thrilling final, however, after edging the first end in deuce, Ma thundered past Zhang in the following three games to win the gold medal on his Olympic singles debut (14-12, 11-5, 11-4, 11-4).

    Jun Mizutani played some of the best Table Tennis of his career at Rio 2016, and he did his country proud by becoming the first Japanese competitor to win a singles medal at an Olympic Games with his victory against Belarusian Vladimir Samsonov in the bronze medal match.

    Two major achievements came from the Women’s Team category, as Germany won silver and Mima Ito won a team bronze with Japan.

    Germany’s silver is the first medal of any colour to be won by a European country in the Women’s Team competition, while Japanese teenager Mima Ito became the youngest competitor to win an Olympic Table Tennis medal aged 15 years and 300 days exactly.

     

     

  • Calls for NSC return thickens

    With Team Nigeria’s poor showing at the just concluded Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil, the call for the return of the scrapped National Sports Commission (NSC) continues to increase.

    Sports buffs believe the official bottleneck in the Ministry of Youth and Sports may have taken its toll on the preparation for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.

    They believe through the NSC, the bureaucracy can be eliminated to help in terms of preparation of athletes for major competitions.

    Speaking on local television yesterday, Sydney 2000 gold medalist,  Enefiok Udo-Obong blamed the bottleneck in the ministry as a major factor to poor showing in Rio.

    The former athlete who was in Brazil for the Olympic Games said it is high time that the sports federations and the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) were empowered to run their various sports.

    “I think the idea of the Ministry of Youth and Sports is another major setback to sports because the bottleneck within the ministry has drawn us back in the sports. Funds should be released directly to the federations to run their various sports while the NOC coordinates and supervises them (federations). It is pathetic that Great Britain that finished below Nigeria at the Atlanta 96 Olympic Games now finished second overall ahead of China while Nigeria managed to pick one bronze medal. We need to do something to help our sports at this time,” he said.