ITTF seeds Aruna, Assar in top 16 for Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Following the official seeding list for the Table Tennis competitions of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna and Egypt’s Omar Assar have been seeded in 14th and 16th places, respectively, in the men’s singles event.

Nigeria will be represented in Paris by four athletes, Aruna, Olajide Omotayo, Offiong Edem and Fatimo Bello, in the men’s and women’s singles events.

Omotayo, Egypt’s Mohammed El-Beiali, Algeria’s Mehdi Bouloussa, Senegal’s Ibrahim Diaw, and Congo Brazzaville’s Saheed Idowu are expected to know their first round opponents when the draws take place on 24 July.

Olajide Omotayo

According to the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), the seeding list was based on the ITTF World Rankings released on 16 July.

Aruna, ranked 19th in the world, has been seeded 14th, while Assar, at 22nd, has been seeded 16th, and they are expected to begin their campaigns in the second round of the men’s singles.

In the women’s singles seeding list, Egypt’s Dina Meshref missed the top 16 list by a whisker to concede 16th place to WTT Contender Lagos champion India’s Sreeja Akula.

With this development, Meshref, seeded 17th, and her compatriot Hana Goda, seeded 20th, will begin their campaign in the second round of the women’s singles.

Nigeria’s pair of Edem and Bello, as well as Cameroon’s Sarah Hanffou and Algeria’s Lynda Loghraibi, will also begin their quest for glory in the second round.

As table tennis celebrates its 10th appearance at the Olympic Games, this list sets the stage for captivating battles across all categories.

World No. 1, China’s Wang Chuqin, is the top seed in the men’s singles event, and he is followed by compatriot and Tokyo 2020 silver medallist, Fan Zhendong.

Both players will aim to get their first gold medal in men’s singles and become the sixth Chinese player to take home the gold medal.

French favourite Felix Lebrun, seeded third, is a strong contender for a podium finish after a recent ITTF World Championships team silver medal and a strong showing at the WTT Star Contender Ljubljana.

Elsewhere, Brazil’s Hugo Calderano and Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yun-Ju have been named the fourth and fifth seeds in the men’s singles draw, respectively.

China remains a major force in women’s singles, but their top seeds face fierce competition. Sun Yingsha, with a recent World Championship title and World Cup victory, stands at the top of the list.

The reigning Tokyo 2020 champion, Chen Meng, sits just behind, setting the stage for a potential clash and repeat of the 2020 gold medal match.

However, the Chinese stars will face strong competition from the rest of the field. Japan’s Hina Hayata, seeded third, 2023 WTT Contender Lagos Shin Yubin of the Korea Republic, seeded fourth, and Romania’s Bernadette Szocs, seeded fifth, have all proven their ability to threaten China in major tournaments.

READ ALSO: ITTF lauds Toriola, Oshonaike, others in table tennis’ Club 7 at the Olympic Games

There will be fierce battles and mixed doubles in the team events. China remains the top seed in both men’s and women’s team events, but established teams like Germany and Japan are determined to dethrone them.

In the mixed doubles, China’s Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha, the top seeds, will face stiff competition from Japan’s Hina Hayata and Tomokazu Harimoto, who are seeded second and third, and Korea’s Lim Jonghoon and Shin Yubin.