Nigeria table tennis star, Quadri Aruna is upbeat about his chances of winning a medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics to be held from July 26 to August 11 in France.
Aruna was seeded in 14th place in the men’s singles event, meaning he will start his campaign in the second round when the event begins on July 28 at the South Paris Arena.
According to the International Table Tennis Federation, the seeding was based on the world rankings released on Tuesday, which saw Aruna retain his 19th position in the world.
The Nigerian will be making his fourth appearance at the Games with the hope of going past the quarter-finals, which he achieved in Rio in 2016.
“Immediately after we finished in Tokyo, the preparation had already started. I’ve played in several international tournaments in different places. I can say that I am well prepared,” Aruna told Sportsville.
“The goals are the same; you know, everyone wants to do well and everyone wants to win a medal, but sometimes it is not all about winning a medal. It’s about giving your best.
“Don’t forget 2016 in Rio; I was very close to winning a medal. I got to the quarterfinals, but four years later, it was not the same performance, but it is what it is. Nothing is really for sure, but this time around, I strongly believe that I will do my best.”
He also rated his chances against some of his opponents from the supposed table tennis countries.
“Against the Chinese, it’s like 60–40, and against other Asians, I can tell you that is 50–50. I have won against some Chinese players and am just yet to win against world No. 1 and world No. 2. My objective is to do much more than I did in Tokyo and get something better than I did in Rio.”
Credit: punchng.com
