Nigerian table tennis players have set an unprecedented record in Paris, recording no wins in the sport for the first time since the 1988 Olympics.
Fatimo Bello, who was the only remaining contender for ‘Team Nigeria’ in table tennis, was ousted in the women’s singles round of 64, ending the country’s hopes for any medal in the sport.
This follows the only success recorded so far by Nigerian representatives at the games, where D’Tigress defeated Australia 75-62 in their opening game of the female basketball event, after a series of poor outings from ‘Team Nigeria’ in other sports.
Unwanted record set at the Paris 2024 Olympics
Bello, on her Olympic debut, lost 4-0 (1-11, 3-11, 3-11, 5-11), as she was unable to match the speed and accuracy of Jia Nan Yuan of France.
Yuan proved to be too much of an opponent for the rookie as she struggled, scoring only one point in the first set and falling short of double figures in all four sets.
This will be the first time that no table tennis player from Nigeria has recorded at least one win in the games since the sport’s debut in the summer of the 1988 Olympics.
Bello’s exit comes as the latest of disappointments in table tennis, with four-time Olympian Aruna Quadri previously exiting the competition following an upset defeat to Romania’s Eduard Ionescule.
Meanwhile, Offiong Edem another table tennis player for Nigeria also left early, losing to Bruna Takahashi of Brazil.
