Toriola banks on Quadri for African Games glory

Nigeria’s table tennis coach, Segun Toriola, admits being nervous leading the Nigerian team to the forthcoming African Games in Ghana next month, but is counting on Aruna Quadri to maintain the country’s dominance in the sport when the competition begins, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Toriola, who took over from Nosiru Bello last December, was without Quadri in his first major tournament at the World Table Tennis Championship in Busan, South Korea where Team Nigeria failed to record a win at the tournament.

Quadri had pulled out of the tournament ITTF World Table Tennis Championships due to food poisoning but has since recovered and is ready to feature at the African Games tournament according to Toriola.

“I’m in touch with him (Quadri),” Toriola said.

“I spoke with him. He is now okay and he is going to participate in the African Games. He is ready. And everybody in the team is happy about that. I’m in touch with him. I spoke to him. He is taking care of himself and so he is going to play. He is aiming for his first African Games gold medal.”

At the last edition of the African Games in Rabat, Morocco, Nigeria were ranked second after winning 10 medals (two gold, four silver and four bronze) and have finished among the top three in the last four editions of the competitions.

Duo Offiong Edem and Cecilia Akpan won gold in the doubles event in the women’s category, Olufunke Oshonaike and Fatimo Bello won silver, with trio Oshonaike, Akpan and Bello also claiming silver in the team event just as Team Nigeria, led by Bode Abiodun and Offiong Edem, won bronze in the mixed doubles event.

Toriola, who won four consecutive men’s singles titles (1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007) at the African Games, also added that there would be some changes in his team.

“All the players are ready, they are confident but one or two things have to change during the African Games because we want to try some new players,” Toriola said.

“There will be some new faces on the team. We want to try and encourage the young ones; we need them to grow because of the situation in Nigeria. The senior players are 100 per cent ready, including Quadri.”