Team Nigeria has yet to win a medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics and hopes of doing so in the Table Tennis event were dashed when two of the country’s representatives crashed out in the first round.
29-year-old Olajide Omotayo had comfortably won the first set against Noshad Alamiyan 11-5 before the Iranian won the remaining sets in succession to seal progression to the next round.
2016 quarter-finalist Aruna Quadri on his part fell to Romanian player Eduard Ionesco in a dramatic encounter which saw the veteran Nigeria on the brink of reaching the second round.
Quadri won the first three sets of his match 11-8, 11-9, 11-6, before his Romanian opponent staged a remarkable to win four sets on the bounce 8-11, 10-12, 9-11, 11-13 and move on to Round 2 in Paris.
These losses leaves Nigerian fans hopeful for better outcomes in the women’s table tennis event where Offiong Edem and Fatimo Bello are Team Nigeria’s representatives.