SPORTS
Nigeria’s Aruna Seeded 15 for Tokyo Olympics Table Tennis Men’s Singles
Team Nigeria captain, Quadri Aruna, has been seeded number 15 among the players in the men’s singles competition of the table tennis event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Being the highest-rated African in the world, Aruna has been seeded number 15 among the 65 players listed for the singles event at the Olympics which kicks off Friday in Tokyo.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Aruna, one of the players to watch out for, will be hoping to exceed in Japan his quarter-final finish at Rio 2016.
Having qualified for Tokyo based on his world rating, he will now be awaiting his first round opponent when the draws hold this week.
Egypt’s Omar Assar is seeded 28th, while Aruna’s compatriot —- Olajide Omotayo —- is seeded 49th in the men’s singles.
In the women’s singles, six-time African women champion, Egypt’s Dina Meshref, has been seeded 19th.
Nigeria’s Offiong Edem is seeded 53rd among the 70 athletes competing in the women’s singles event, while seven-time Olympian Olufunke Oshonaike is 60th.
Meanwhile, China’s Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng have been unveiled as the top seeds for the men’s and women’s singles categories.
Making his first appearance on the Olympic stage in Tokyo, 24-year-old Fan Zhendong is bidding to become the sixth Chinese player to take home men’s singles gold.
Meanwhile, fellow Fan’s compatriot and defending champion Ma Long, who has been named as the number two seed, will attempt to recapture the magic of five years ago.
He will be defending his highly sought-after title at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
Seeded third is homeboy 18-year-old Tomokazu Harimoto is bound to catch the eye as the ever-improving teenager looks to guide Japan to a historic first gold medal in the category.
Also, Brazil’s Hugo Calderano and Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yun-Ju have been named the fourth and fifth seeds respectively in the men’s singles draw.
They are ahead of Sweden’s Mattias Falck, London 2012 bronze medallist Dimitrij Ovtcharov and fellow German Timo Boll.
A new women’s singles champion will be crowned, with all eyes firmly fixed on two Chinese debutants looking to make it nine gold medals in a row for them.
Making the summit of the list, top seed Chen Meng leads the way with Sun Yingsha occupying the immediate position below on the list.
China also leads the way in both the Men’s Team and Women’s Team events with in pursuit of a fourth-straight gold medal finish in both categories.(NAN)
Nasarawa United Football Club of Lafia on Saturday defeated Lobi Stars of Makurdi 1-0 in a pulsating North Central derby.
The matchday 16 fixture of the 2024/2025 Nigeria Premiere Football League (NPFL) was played at the Lafia Township Stadium, Nasarawa State capital.
The Makurdi side had adopted the Lafia Township Stadium as their home ground for the 2024/2025 NPFL season.
The only goal of the match was scored by Qamar Adegoke in the 12th minute of the match to give all three points to the Lafia side.
Adegoke’s goal, who joined the Lafia team recently, was his second in four matches.
The Nasarawa attacker capitalised on a defensive error by the opponent’s backline and hit the back of the net to give Nasarawa United the advantage.
In a post-match interview, Kabir Dogo, Technical Adviser of Nasarawa United, hailed his players for taking all three points.
He explained that his team had improved by scoring five goals in their last three matches and expressed optimism that they would do better in subsequent games.
“We had a problem in the area of goal scoring in the past, but this has changed in our last three games,” he said.
With the win, Nasarawa United climbed to 14th on the NPFL table, while Lobi Stars remain on 17th position. (NAN)
The Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) is organising a two-day National Coaching Seminar, with the theme: “Leadership and Management Skills”.
The event will take place from Dec. 17 to Dec. 18, at the Additional Sports and Entertainment (ASEP) Pro Limited, in Mowe, Ogun State.
The seminar will enhance the capabilities of Nigerian table tennis coaches, with a particular emphasis on female coaches, aligning with the International Table Tennis Federation’s (ITTF) Gender Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (GEDI) Initiative.
A statement issued by the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation, on Tuesday, said that the seminar was part of the one-week sports and leadership boot camp titled “Awaken the Giant, She Can 4.
0,” proudly supported by NTTF.“This seminar will also represent the third stage of the 2024 “My Gender, My Strength” programme, which has table tennis star Abosede Akinsete, as a beneficiary.
“NTTF President,Tikon Ishaku, Vice President, Adesoji Tayo, and other board members are dedicated to initiatives that support the development of coaches.
“Wahid Enitan-Oshodi, ITTF Executive Vice President, and President of ITTF-Africa, reaffirms his commitment to empowering women in sports, in line with the GEDI Initiative.
He explained that the seminar would feature people, who would speak on leadership and management skills, to enhance the abilities of coaches to identify and develop talents, as well as encourage the development of high-performance table tennis players capable of competing globally. (NAN)
Rivers United Football Club of Port Harcourt on Sunday returned to the 2024/2025 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) summit as strong rivals Remo Stars FC faltered on Match Day 13.
Report says that Rivers United beat visiting Abia Warriors of Umuahia 1-0 after an Ndifreke Effiong 58th minute goal from the penalty kick spot.
Effiong’s goal in the match at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium helped them to move to 25 points from 13 matches, after seven wins, four draws and two losses.
Former leaders Remo Stars dropped to second with 23 points from 13 matches after seven wins, two draws and four losses, following a 0-2 loss to hosts Katsina United.
Plateau United of Jos beat visiting Nasarawa United of Lafia 2-0 to bolster their position.
Shooting Stars Sports Club also struggled to a 1-0 win over visiting Bayelsa United of Yenago.
A 15th minute goal by Anthony Okachi at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan gave them the win.
El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri had on Saturday beaten Akwa United of Uyo 1-0 to move into third place on the table with 22 points from 13 games.
Enyimba International of Aba remained in fourth place with 20 points from 12 matches, with their week 13 game against Sunshine Stars of Akure on hold.
Rangers International of Enugu are in fifth place with 20 points also, after a goalless draw with hosts Heartland FC ain Owerri on Saturday.
Bendel Insurance of Benin had also beaten Kwara United of Ilorin 3-1, while Lobi Stars of Makurdi drew 2-2 with visiting Kano Pillars in Lafia.
NAN reports that the league will enter Match Day 14 on Wednesday.(NAN)
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