Nigeria’s last table tennis player at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Fatima Bello, crashed out on Monday after losing 4-0 (11-1, 11-3, 11-3, and 11-5) against France’s Jia Nan Yuan in their women’s singles round of 64 game.
Her exit follows three other Nigeria table tennis players, Aruna Quadri, Olajide Omotayo, and Offiong Edem who were also beaten in the first round.
Bello, a debutant, struggled to match the speed and precision of her opponent, ultimately leading to her elimination from the competition.
Recall that Edem exited the competition after suffering a 4-0 defeat to Brazil’s Bruna Takahashi in the women’s singles Round of 64.
Omotayo faced a 4-1 loss to Iran’s Noshad Alamiyan, while African champion Aruna suffered a dramatic 4-3 defeat to 19-year-old Romanian Eduard Ionescu.
This marks the first time since the introduction of table tennis at the 1988 Olympics that no Nigerian player managed to secure at least one win in the competition.
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