Nigeria’s remaining table tennis player crashes out of London Olympics

Quadri Aruna, Team Nigeria’s
remaining table tennis player at the ongoing
London 2012 Olympic Games, crashed out of
the competition on Sunday.
Aruna lost 2-4 in his second round game to
Turkey’s Bora Vang at the ExCel-North Arena
1, in spite of winning the first two games of
the fixture.
Aruna, 23, who drew bye into the first round
where he beat Carlos Machado of Spain 4-2
on Saturday, had carried Nigeria’s hope of
remaining in the event on his shoulders.
The Nigerian team had qualified for only the
singles event of the competition and Aruna’s
male teammate, Segun Toriola, had earlier
crashed out on Saturday, after advancing to
the first round.
The two female players, Olufunke Oshonaike and Offiong Edem, had also seen their
aspirations cut short on Saturday, with Edem losing her first game in the preliminary round.
Oshonaike had, like Toriola, also won her preliminary round match, before losing in the first
round later in the day.
Aruna had, however, briefly given the hope of Nigeria remaining in contention at the
competition, after winning his first two games against Vang at 11-6, 12-10 in 12 minutes.
Some 26 minutes later, however, Aruna was to lose 12-10, 11-2, 12-10, 12-10 to his 25-year-
old opponent, thus crashing out and ending Nigeria’s hopes in the sport at the Games. (NAN)