The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Segun Toriola

  • SEGUN TORIOLA: I’ll dedicate my retirement for youngsters    

    SEGUN TORIOLA: I’ll dedicate my retirement for youngsters    

    Segun Toriola is one of Nigeria’s most decorated athletes and the first Nigerian to feature in seven Olympic Games, making his debut at Barcelona 1992 in Spain.

    Toriola’s commitment to Nigeria is indisputable as his contributions to table tennis and his records in the game are there for all, which have been recognized by the African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF).

    Despite several challenges, including disappointments while representing Nigeria, the 45-year-old remains committed to the land of his birth. Toriola’s latest efforts to secure more glory for Nigeria by setting a new record as the first table tennis player and African athlete to compete in eight Olympic Games was halted at the African Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Tunis. But the Ogun State-born athlete forges on…writes Taiwo Alimi.

    When Segun Toriola made his debut at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games in Spain as a teenager, it was enough for the youngster to just be part of the party. But then the debutante caught the Olympic bug and he could not imagine that the biggest sporting event could go on in subsequent years without his participation. Such was the love of the Games planted in Toriola’s heart that for the next seven editions he was present as a playing participant.

    When he featured at Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil, Toriola was inducted into the 7 Club – the exclusive group of players who have appeared in up to seven Olympic Games – by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).

    While he has missed out on the Tokyo Olympic Games, the former African champion continues to cherish every moment he had competed at the games.

    The legend of table tennis said: “For me competing at the Olympic Games has been a big experience and I’m very happy because it is not easy to compete at the Olympics for 32 years. I always love to be part of the Olympics because it is a special event and it is a tournament that you compete and your spirit will be lifted as if you are a legend.

    “The experience at the Games Village is something you would not want to forget in a hurry because at the Village you will meet other top athletes from across the globe, particularly those regarded as super stars like you.

    “The Olympics for me is a very special event and competing for 32 years is like winning a jackpot. My first Olympic Games were like a surprise to me even to everybody in the Nigeria team because I was the youngest in the team and nobody believed I was going to qualify.

    “Since my debut at Barcelona 1992, I was always determined and eager to go back every four years. The feeling I had during my first outing at the Olympic Games has always inspired me to be determined to go back again and again. Every time I finished an Olympic Games, I usually redouble my efforts and continue to work harder so that I can go back again. So going to the Olympic Games requires hard-work,” he said.

    It was at Beijing in China that Toriola made a significant impact at the Olympic Games, after reaching the Men’s Singles last 16. To get to that enviable stage, Toriola beat amongst others former world number 1 Jean-Michel Saive as well as Canada’s David Zhuang. His round of 32 match-up with the Belgian was seen by many as one of the highlights of the Men’s Singles Tournament. He narrowly lost 4-3 to heavily favoured Korea’s Oh Sang-Eun in the round of 16.

    “There’s been a lot of memorable moments for me at the Olympics because for me Olympics is special, I cannot say this particular one is special but the only one I could remember was Beijing 2008 which I can say for me is different because I played very well and all the whole world was surprised I could play the way I played. So I think Beijing Olympics is more special for me in terms of playing,” he said.

    While he has several laurels in his kitty, Toriola has no national honours to show for his service to his Fatherland. But he is unfazed by this development. His words: “Well I don’t regret sacrifice my time playing for Nigeria because I’m a Nigerian; I love to be a Nigerian and I’m proud playing for Nigeria. I know there is a lot of disappointment going on in Nigeria. But I am used to it. Disappointments should be expected by every Nigerian athlete.

    “I think they (athletes) should not get upset because Nigeria has a way of disappointing its athletes. So for me I’m not regretting because I choose to play for Nigeria till the end of my career. If I didn’t want to choose Nigeria, I would have changed my nationality a very long time ago.”

    He enthused further: “Well, I’m not bothered that I have not been given a national honour by Nigeria. Although it is not good for Nigeria athletes but for me I am not surprised Nigeria doesn’t know the value of its athletes. It is very sad that nobody in Nigeria honours me or our past athletes who have won a lot of medals for the country.

    “For me, my own case is even special because I’m the longest serving athlete in Nigeria that played so long and won several medals for Nigeria more than any athlete. It’s sad to hear that I have not been honoured by my country but most of the time, I don’t think about it.”

    Toriola could not hide his disappointment for not making it to Tokyo 2020. He said: “I’m going to miss a lot apart from participating. I am going to miss my friends from other countries. I am going to miss the Olympic Games a lot because if any athlete passes through the Olympics, he or she would not want to miss the next one because if he misses the next one then he or she is going to miss a lot.”

    On plan to aim for Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Toriola said: “No I’m already done with Olympics and also for the national team of Nigeria. I had already told the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) when I played at Rio 2016 that after that I will try to qualify again for Tokyo. But that if I qualify or not, I will quit.

    “Later this year I’m going to call a world press conference to announce my retirement from the national team. But when I stop playing for national team, I am still going to continue my professional career. Also I will still continue to be around the players because for me, moving away from the national team is going to affect some players and that has been the problem we have in Nigeria which prevented us from improving in table tennis.”

    Toriola is also not ruling out coaching. “I’m thinking of coaching but for me my first priority is if I want to be a coach, I have to be around Nigeria because the players need coaches and someone that can help them a lot.

    “So for me I just want to be around Nigeria and that is my priority, no matter how I have to plough something back. If table tennis is not improving in Nigeria it will affect me too because ex-players are going to ask me what is going on in Nigeria table tennis. People respect Nigeria in table tennis all over the world, so I am going to stay around Nigeria even if I’m going to coach any other country.”

    “If I am given the opportunity to coach Nigeria, first of all I have to first look at the players in terms of their quality coupled with the problems they are facing. I also need to talk with them as well as with the federation because if you are a coach and you cannot make your decision but allow your Federation makes decisions for you then your work is not going to show.

    “Then after that I will start working with them. I need to teach them (athletes) not only on the table but mentally also because people believe you have to only train athletes on the table alone but that’ is not so as you need to give them advice, as well as the secrets of staying long in the game,” he added.

    Read Also: Chelsea to pay 130m Euros release clause for Osimhen

    On the secret of his long stay in the game, Toriola said: “The secret first of all is working hard and training regularly. You need to train, make some sacrifices in your lifestyle because some athletes want to live two lifestyles, which is not possible. Sports lifestyle is different from social lifestyle. You need to have a good plan for your lifestyle. What really helped me is that my age is not in my brain, what I have in my brain is that I am just 20 years old and that really helped me a lot and motivated me. As an athlete you don’t always think about your age because it is just a number but when you believe you are still young then your brain will motivate you to practice more.”

    The erstwhile Commonwealth champion remains grateful to his father for sowing the seed of table tennis in his life. “I’m very happy with what I have achieved in the sport and I must praise my father for that because he wanted me to play table tennis. I remember when I was young I didn’t have the opportunity to play with other children but I had my own table at home made by my father. This afforded me the chance to play regularly at home before moving out,” he said.

  • Abiodun, Toriola, others may get improved ranking

    Despite their early exits at the 2019 ITTF World Championships in Budapest, Nigeria’s Bode Abiodun, Segun Toriola, Olajide Omotayo, Olfunke Oshonaike, Edem Offiong and Ajoke Ojomu may get improved ranking when the May 2019 ITTF ranking is released next week.

    From their performance in Budapest, it was clear that the win recorded by the Nigerians will rub off positively on their fortune in the latest ranking.

    Despite going out from the group stages, Toriola, Omotayo, Oshonaike, Offiong and Ojomu will be rewarded for their victory against their opponents with ranking points as well as participation bonus points when the rating will be unveiled.

    However, Abiodun who was unbeaten in the group may get a much more improvement following his exploits in the group and for making the knockout round of the preliminary.

    The best performing African player in the competition is Aruna Quadri and there are strong indications that he might jumped into top 20 in the world.

    Despite exiting in the first round of the men’s singles, Egypt’s Omar Assar and Ahmed Saleh may also gain some points for starting their campaigns from the main draw.

    Dina Meshref, the only African female player that progressed to the second round of the women’s singles will surely get an improved rating when the ranking is released next week.

  • 2019 ITTF World Championships: Toriola to make 21st appearance in Budapest

    Seven-time Olympian and Africa’s most successful table tennis player – Segun Toriola has been acknowledged for his longevity by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) as the former African champion will be making his 21st appearance at the 2019 World Championship holding in Budapest, Hungary on April 21 to 29.

    Toriola made his maiden appearance at the 1991 edition of the championship in Chiba, Japan.

    According to ITTF, this year’s tournament will see record numbers of participation: the 609 players representing 109 National Associations mark an increase on previous record figures posted at the last individual World Table Tennis Championships held in Dusseldorf, Germany in 2017.

    The world table tennis ruling body said the growth forms a positive step ahead of the ITTF introducing an expanded World Championships format in 2021, which aims to increase National Association participation of 47 percent closer to 100 percent global representation as more players will have a greater opportunity to take part thanks to the new World Championship stages.

    In Africa, Toriola has the record appearance at the tournament while Belarus’ Vladimir Samsonov will be making his 23rd World Championships – a record among current players.

    As Africa’s best playing nations – Nigeria and Egypt will be leading 11 other African nations to the global showpiece in the ancient city of Budapest.

    Other African nations heading to the party in Hungary are Algeria, Benin Republic, Congo Brazzaville, Cote d’Ivoire, Congo DRC, Cameroun, Djibouti, Ghana, Mauritius, Sierra Leone and Togo.

    Aruna Quadri, ranked 25th in the world, represents Africa’s big hope in the men’s Singles, with Egypt’s Dina Meshref- the continent’s biggest name in the women’s singles.

    Thirty-eight years old world no. 5, Timo Boll of Germany will be making his 19thWorld Championships career appearance in Budapest.

  • 19th National Sports Festival: Toriola, Ojomu rule singles event of table tennis

    In the absence of her Akwa Ibom’s teammate, Segun Toriola made use of his years of experience to silence critics after emerging as men’s singles champion while Abuja’s Ajoke Ojomu also claimed the women singles title of table tennis event of the 19th National Sports Festival holding in Abuja.

    Criticisms have trailed the participation of Olufunke Oshonaike and Toriola in the competition particularly as they represented their adopted state – Akwa Ibom.

    After they were beaten in the semifinal of the mixed doubles by Oyo’s duo of Taofeek Maya and Funmilola Ajala, the rising profile of the former African stars began to dwindle.

    However, Oshonaike’s dream of ‘winning’ the gold medal for Akwa Ibom was thwarted in the quarterfinal of the women’s singles as the Germany-based star was shown the exit by Lagos’ Nimota Aregbesola.

    But Toriola in his usual style was not discouraged by the criticisms as he went about with his business taken down most of his younger opponents.

    In the men’s singles final against Bayelsa’s Ganiyu Ashimiyu, it was as if they fans were against Toriola at the venue. And when the younger Ashimiyu won the first game, the fans went wild hoping that the end has come for Toriola.

    That experience cannot be bought came to fore as Toriola ensured that the match was beyond his opponent and within few minutes, he has dismissed Ashimiyu 4-1 to claim the gold medal to the chagrin of his critics.

    Former junior international, Ojomu was in her best form as she defeated Cross River’s Cecelia Akpan to claim the gold medal in the women’s singles.

    The final of the singles event was the climax of the table tennis event of the multi-sports fiesta.

  • NTTF Presidency not in my Agenda-Toriola

     

    If there is one thing that is completely off the scale of preference of Nigeria’s Table Tennis veteran, Segun Toriola, it is becoming the President of Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF).

    Toriola who led Team Nigeria table tennis team to Silver medal at the  Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast Australia which ends Sunday, maintained that his priority remains to see Nigeria holding her own in the game and more Nigerians proving their mettle, noting that there are millions and one ways he can inspire others without necessarily being the President of the Federation.

    “I am doing my bit and my desire is to always see Nigeria doing well and up and coming athletes measuring up. It does not mean that I have to be the president of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) to contribute to the development of the game, I don’t think about that now , it is not in my agenda,” he submitted.

    Toriola who described Nigeria athletes as self-made opined that Nigeria would have become the nation to beat in sports if the country had imbibed the culture of training and monitoring her athletes like it is done in other countries, noting that most athletes who excel for Nigeria train themselves and achieve through personal efforts.

    “We have the potentials to do better that we are doing in sports, but we don’t train our athletes, most of them train own their and achieve through personal efforts, it is not like that in most countries.  They have budget for the sports Federations and take training of athletes seriously and there is no way you can be the best without proper training,” he said

    The four-time All Africa Games Gold medalists who bared his mind while assessing the effort of Team Nigeria in Australia, challenged up and coming players and those who have found something to appreciate in what he has contributed to the game so far, to embrace hard work, ensure that they have a good coach and be ready make sacrifice.

    “The younger ones must be ready to make sacrifice, must work very hard and we require a good coach be patient and ready to learn,” he added.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Gold Coast 2018: Nigeria reaches Table Tennis team final

    Nigeria’s table tennis team on Monday defeated England 3-2 in the men’s team semi-finals at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.

    The News men reports that the team will face India in the final.

    Segun Toriola lost Nigeria’s first match 3-2 ( 14-12, 9-11, 7-11,13-11,7-11 ) to Paul Drinkhall, but in match 2, Bode Abiodun recovered from two sets down to beat Liam Pitchford 3-2 ( 8-11,9-11-4,13-11,11-5 ).

    The pair of Olajide Omotayo and Segun Toriola beat the duo of Samuel Walker and Paul Drinkhall 3-1 ( 2-11, 11-7,12-10,11-7 ) in match 3.

    Read Also: Commonwealth Games: Nigeria’s reach 100m Final

    Although Olajide Omotayo lost 3-2 ( 11-9, 4-11, 8-11, 11-9, 5-11 ) to Liam Pitchford in match 4, Bode Abiodun sealed Nigeria’s place in the final by beating Samuel Walker in match 5 with a nervy 3-2 ( 8-11, 11-8, 11-9, 6-11, 11-8 ) win.

    The Nigerian had defeated host Australia 3-1 in the quarter-finals, as well as Belize 3-0 and Malaysia 3-1 in the group games.

    NAN

  • Africa Top 16: Narrow escape for Toriola

    Experience came in handy for Segun Toriola in his narrow 3-2 win over Algeria’s Sami Kherouf in the group stage of the ITTF Africa Top 16 Cup holding in Nairobi, Kenya.

    Toriola had the better of the early exchanges, but had to rely heavy on his experience when the Algerian threatened at some point in the game to win 3-2 to the admiration of the Kenyan fans.

    “I am yet to understand the atmosphere in Nairobi because the high altitude is really affecting the balls. You cannot stroke the ball because it can go out so you just have to be careful whenever you are playing your strokes. I must confess that it has not been easy for any player in this competition because the altitude is affecting the movement of the ball, so you have to play with caution,” he admitted.

    The seven-time Olympian, however, commended his opponent, saying, “I could remember he gave me a tough time in Morocco last year but I am sure he knows that he met a strong Toriola today. I was really for him.  I am sure any player that wins the competition will count himself lucky because the altitude has worked against us.”

    However, Edem Offiong was not lucky against Algeria’s Lynda Logrhaibi as the former African champion fell 3-2 to the North African. Offiong struggled throughout the game as she made several unforced errors to give the Algerian a 2-0 but the Nigerian rallied back to level at 2-2.

    In the fifth game, Offiong started well but could not sustain the momentum as she lost 3-2 to the Algerian.

    An excited Logrhaibi told NationSport after her victory, “I thought that beating Edem will be an impossible task for me because I have never beaten her in our previous meetings. But today, I was calm and relaxed because I had nothing to lose if she defeated me.

    “I was just playing and enjoying myself. So beating Edem today is like defeating Oshonaike or Meshref because she is one the best players in Africa. I am so happy because this will motivate me in this competition,” Logrhaibi said.

  • Nigeria table tennis team now competitive – Onaolapo

    Unlike in the past where players were handpicked to feature for Nigeria in major competitions, but to make the national table tennis now is as hard as a camel passing through the needle, says Portugal-based Ojo Onaolapo.

    Onaolapo who failed to make it beyond the preliminary round at the just concluded Hungarian Open in Budapest told NationSport that after being exempted from the nation team after his last outing at the 2016 World Championship in Malaysia, he hopes to work his way back into the team with hard work and discipline.

    “From the quality of players we have in Nigeria coupled with the competitiveness of the team, it is now very hard to make the team because you need to prove yourself that you are worthy to be in the team. You must also be disciplined to be part of the team which has quality and disciplined players like Segun Toriola and Aruna Quadri,” he said.

    On his early exit at Hungarian Open, he said: “But I know if I continue going to competition from time to time, I will reclaim my place back in the national team. I just have to keep going to tournaments because I now realised that tournament arena is different from the club so I need to keep going to ITTF World Tour,” he said.

    He added: “In most of the matches, I was leading only to lose. While the racket my opponents were using were not the ones I was used to. Apart from the defeat, I think I learnt a lot from taking part in the competition and it makes me believe that nothing is impossible and I got to know the latest in table tennis around the world.”

    Onaolapo could not hide his fascination for his compatriot – Aruna Quadri saying, “Seeing Aruna Quadri playing and winning against some of the top players will make people believe that Africa can do it. His performance gives me confidence that nothing is impossible in table tennis. That it is just hard work and ensure that I attend tournaments regularly. Also, I noticed that Aruna Quadri play strong short while he moves a lot on the table. He fights for every point on the table and this is a quality I must follow.”

    He hopes to feature in tournaments in Luxembourg and Slovenia before the 2017 World Championships in Germany. “I intend to play more competitions in Luxembourg and Slovenia before the World Championship. What I believe is that if I keep focusing and attending tournaments while also performing very well, I think I can be a regular in the Nigeria national team,” he said.

  • African legend Segun Toriola leads training camp in Kenya

    African legend Segun Toriola leads training camp in Kenya

    Aware of the coaching prowess of Africa’s most decorated table tennis player, Segun Toriola, the Kenya Table Tennis Association (KTTA) has invited the former African champion to lead an end-of-the-year training camp for its players.

    In a statement issued by the KTTA Media and Communications Department, Toriola was expected to arrive Nairobi on Monday December 19 yesterday for the five-day training exercise kicking off today.
    The statement reads: “Africa’s most decorated table tennis player Segun Toriola is set to visit Kenya for a series of coaching sessions planned for Nairobi. Nigeria’s Toriola, who became the first athlete on the continent to qualify for a seventh appearance at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, arrives in Nairobi in time for the end of year training camp.
    According to KTTA Chairman Andrew Mudibo, Toriola would be in the country to impart some valuable ping-pong experience to current national team players and top juniors from across the country. The training sessions will be held at Oshwal Nairobi from Tuesday through to Christmas eve.
    “As part of Tucheze Tebo initiative, we have invited Toriola to come and impart some vital table tennis techniques to our juniors and members of the national team as we prepare them for the new season,” said Mudibo.
    Toriola, who beat Kenya number 1 Anthony Mathenge in preliminaries of the ITTF Africa Olympic qualiers in Khartoum last February, is among the few experts KTTA and ITTF have invited on technical assignments.
    Others are France-based ITTF expert Ronald Mugwanya who has run two coaching and umpiring courses, Egyptian Ahmed Dalwatly who ran Africa Hopes Week in Nairobi and previously Pakistani former world-ranked Arif Khan who prepared the Kenyan team in the run up to the final London Olympic qualifiers in Doha.
    “Bringing in Toriola goes a long way in whipping up the enthusiasm of our young budding players some of who have aspired to follow in his footsteps. Toriola has always aspired to inspire young players and fits the bill in his end of year trip,” added Mudibo.

  • ITTF Ranking: Aruna Quadri ends 2016 on 25th spot

    ITTF Ranking: Aruna Quadri ends 2016 on 25th spot

    Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri maintained his status for three consecutive months as world number 25 in the December ITTF World Ranking released yesterday by the world table tennis ruling body.
    With just one point, Quadri garnered in his second exit at the Austrian Open, the 2014 ITTF Star Player now has 2446 from 2445 he had in November 2016.
    With this, he ends 2016 as the highest ranked African player in the world, while his continental rival – Egypt’s Omar Assar moved four steps up the ranking ladder, as the ITTF African Senior Championships winner is now rated 45th from 49th in November.
    Seven-time Olympian, Segun Toriola remains the third best African despite dropping from 101 to 106 in the latest ranking.
    Bode Abiodun also dropped from 175 to 196 in the November ranking to become the fifth best African player in the world.
    In the women ranking, African champion, Olufunke Oshonaike may have dropped to 209 from 206 in the world, but she held on as the third best ranked female African player in the world as Egypt’s Dina Meshref and Nadeen El-Dawlatly held onto the top two spots in the continent despite sliding in the latest ranking.
    Meanwhile, China’s Ma Long and Ning Ding held on as the best players in the men and women ranking. Despite their inactiveness in the last two months, Long and Ding remain the highest rated players in the world. The top three spots in the men and women ranking are still being dominated by the Chinese.