In a disappointing turn of events for Nigerian table tennis fans, both Omotayo and Aruna suffered early exits in the men’s singles competition at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Olajide Omotayo, who faced Iran’s Nima Alamiyan in the Round of 64, struggled to maintain his form after a promising start. The match concluded with a 4-1 victory for Alamiyan, who overpowered Omotayo after the first set. Despite winning the opening set 11-6, Omotayo was unable to sustain his momentum, losing the subsequent sets 5-11, 4-11, 10-12, and 8-11.
“It’s a tough loss to swallow,” Omotayo admitted. “I gave my best, but today wasn’t my day. I’ll learn from this and come back stronger.”
Aruna Quadri, the more experienced of the two, entered the second round against Romania’s Ovidiu Ionescu with high hopes.
Aruna initially dominated the match, securing the first three sets with scores of 11-8, 11-9, and 11-6. However, Ionescu staged a remarkable comeback, clinching the following four sets 8-11, 10-12, 9-11, and 11-13, to secure a hard-fought 4-3 victory.
The tension was palpable in the final set as both players pushed their limits, but it was Ionescu who emerged victorious. Aruna expressed his frustration after the match, saying, “It’s heart-wrenching to lose like this, especially after leading. I gave everything I had, but Ionescu was relentless.”
The early exits of both Omotayo and Aruna are a significant blow to Nigeria’s hopes in table tennis at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Fans and supporters had high expectations, especially given Aruna’s past performances on the international stage.
This outcome underscores the unpredictable and highly competitive nature of Olympic table tennis.
Despite their losses, both players remain optimistic about the future. “This isn’t the end,” Aruna said. “We’ll analyze what went wrong and work harder for the next opportunity. The support from home has been incredible, and we won’t let this setback define us.”
