Aruna, others face tough table tennis battles

Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna has been handed a familiar foe in Romania’s Eduard Ionescu in his first game of the men’s singles of the table tennis event of the Paris 2024 Olympics, but he is on a collision course with world number one Wang Wang Chuqin in the round of 32, According Sports Extra reports.

The 35-year-old has been drawn bye in the first round and will begin in the round of 64 against Ionescu.

His compatriot, Olajide Omotayo, has a tough duel against Iran’s Noshad Alamiyan in the first round of men’s singles in the table tennis competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The draw conducted on Wednesday, July 23 at the South Paris Arena and witnessed by coaches and team managers also handed Africa’s flagbearers, Egypt, a big hurdle in the team and mixed doubles events.

Like Omotayo, Offiong Edem will lock horns against Brazil’s Bruna Takahashi, while debutant Fatimo Bello will face a Herculean task against the Chinese-born French star Jia Nana Yuan in the first round of the Women’s Singles.

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games mark a momentous occasion for table tennis: its 10th appearance as an Olympic sport since its debut at Seoul 1988 in South Korea.

According to the head-to-head between Aruna and Romanian, both players have met once, and that was during the semi-finals of the European Champions League, in which the Romanian defeated Aruna 3-2, and Paris 2024 will be their second meeting in any competition.

Like Aruna, Omotayo will face a southpaw Iranian whose style most times confuses opponents and has also taken down some of the finest players in the world with his awkward style of play. Omotayo will have to be at his best if he hopes to win his first match at the Olympic Games.

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