Nigerian table tennis icon, Quadri Aruna, has finally qualified to play for Nigeria at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.
The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) confirmed that Quadri Aruna is one of the 86 men’s players who will participate in the men’s singles event of the 2024 Olympic Games.
Aruna secured his spot at the Olympics through the ITTF ranking. This means that he will become the first table tennis player in the history of Nigeria to play at the Olympics four different times.
The first time the 35-year-old table tennis star featured at the Olympics was in 2012. He participated at the event in 2016 and 2020. His best performance at the Olympics was reaching the quarter-final stage in 2016.
A statement from the ITTF, released by the African Table Tennis Federation on Friday, June 14, reads: “With less than 50 days to the games, this week’s world ranking update has seen eight athletes secure their participation based on the selection of continental quotas allocated by world ranking.
“The men’s singles draw welcomes African powerhouse, Quadri Aruna from Nigeria, alongside the Americas’ rising talent Nicolas Burgos from Chile. Asia’s Kirill Gerassimenko of Kazakhstan and Europe’s Alvaro Robles of Spain, who previously qualified in mixed doubles, also confirm their spots.
“The women’s singles competition showcases a similar level of global talent. Lynda Loghraibi from Algeria (Africa), Adriana Diaz of Puerto Rico (Americas), Singapore’s Zhou Jingyi (Asia), and Yang Xiaoxin of Monaco (Europe) can now officially begin their preparations for their Olympic dreams in Paris.”
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