Sports
Quadri Loses Africa Cup Final
Africa’s top-ranked table tennis player, Aruna Quadri, has rued his missed chance to emerge champion in the men’s singles at the 2023 ITTF-Africa Cup, Tidesports source reports.
Quadri who had outclassed El-Beiali Mohamed 4-0 in the semi-final, lost 4-1 (8-11,13-15,7-11,11-9,7-11) to Egyptian Omar Assar in the best of seven men’s singles final at the Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani indoor gymnasium.
In winning the 2023 Africa Cup, Assar chucked up his 10th career ITTF Africa title having won the 2018 edition in Nairobi.
Speaking after his defeat, Quadri admitted that he should have been more patient during the game.
“I should have been more patient with the game,” Quadri said.
I think I did my best but it was one of those days. Things were not really working for me. Table tennis is a game of chances and you have to charge from the word go.”
Assar who played the final with pain caused by an inflamed back said after his historic that the final was his toughest.
“This will perhaps go down as the hardest ever ITTF Africa event that I have ever played,” Assar said.
“I was very close to quitting when I arrived in Nairobi with a back injury, but thanks to the Kenyan medical team for their efforts, as this wouldn’t have been possible. I feel for Aruna, he is a great player.”
Iwobi spoke to Tidesports source ahead of Nigeria’s crunch playoff semi-final against Gabon on Thursday, November 13, in Rabat, Morocco.
The 28-year-old was reacting to Nigeria’s shaky World Cup qualifying campaign that saw the Eagles finish second in Group C behind South Africa’s Bafana Bafana.
“We’ve managed to rescue ourselves from the dead,” Iwobi told Tidesports source.
We know we have the players and the abilities to compete against any other country in the world.”
The Fulham star pointed to Nigeria’s star power, highlighting African Footballer of the Year winners Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen as proof of the squad’s quality.
“We have last year’s African best player (Ademola Lookman), the year before that (Victor Osimhen),” he said.
“It’ll be a shame if we don’t make it, but we have a lot of confidence. We just have to prove it to ourselves.”
Nigeria’s path to the United States, Canada and Mexico has been turbulent, with two coaches departing during the early stages of qualifying before Éric Chelle steadied the ship to steer the Super Eagles into November’s CAF playoffs.
Four nations from the continent – Nigeria, Cameroon, DR Congo and Gabon – will vie for a solitary spot to compete in next March’s inter-confederation playoffs, with a view to joining the already nine qualified African nations at the Finals.
It would mark Iwobi’s second appearance at the World Cup Finals and the Super Eagles’ first since the 2018 edition of the competition.
Back then, Iwobi featured in all three games as Nigeria was knocked out in the group stage.
The Chief Executive Officer(CEO) and Publisher of the Atlantic Bell Online medium, Mr. Celestine Ogolo has advised sports writers in Nigeria to diversify in sports writing and not to concentrate on football reporting alone.
The Deputy National President of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Mr. Bonny Nyong has expressed commitment to support sports development and move SWAN forward.