Africa Para Table Tennis Championship: Two Nigerians Qualify For Rio 2016 Paralympics Games

Of the four Nigerian athletes that featured at the ITTF Africa Para Table Tennis Championship, which served as qualifiers for the Rio 2016 Paralympics Games, the duo of Ahmed Owolabi Koleosho and Chinenye Obiora made the eight-man list that secured their places at the Paralympics Games.

However, Francis Chukwuemeka who had earlier at the Morocco Open won two gold medals failed to make it while Emmanuel Chinedu Nick was also unlucky to make the list.

From the eight athletes that qualified, five of them were Egyptians, one South Africans while Obiora and Koleosho completed the list.

To qualify, Obiora was unbeaten in the women’s singles class 1-5 to emerge as winner ahead of players from Morocco and South Africa while Koleosho caused an upset to book his place at the Paralympics Games.

He accounted for the exit of Egypt’s Aly Mohamen Nasr, the top seed, in the final of Class 1-3 (11-8, 11-6, 11-7).

An excited Koleosho said: “It is great to win, I was the second seed in the competition, it is a great step for me, I trained hard for this and I listened to every word my coach said”, explained Koleosho. “I practice for about four hours per day, in the final I was playing against a champion who is a very experienced player; I am new to the game, I only started to play in 2013.”

The Nigerian admitted that the experience he garnered during the Morocco Open aided his success at the African Championship. It is very big for me to qualify for the Paralympics; playing in the Morocco Open has really helped me improve, I lost to Welder Knaf from Brazil, he is very experienced but I learned a great deal by playing against him”, added Koleosho. “After the match he talked to me about little things which improved my game; before the tournaments in Agadir, we prepared in Nigeria against many different players with different styles, this helped.”

the duo of Ahmed Owolabi Koleosho and Chinenye Obiora made the eight-man list that secured their places at the Paralympics Games

Meanwhile, the President of African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF), Khaled El-Salhy described the tournament as competitive. The standard is quite good due to the participation of the top teams like Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa and the competition was quite fierce when during the semi-finals and final rounds to decide the winners and qualifiers,” the ATTF boss said.

Nigeria’s Obiora, Chukwuemeka Claim Gold Medals At Morocco Para Table Tennis Open

Nigeria’s duo of Chineye Obiora and Francis Chukwuemeka dominated their class in the singles event at the 1st Morocco Para Table Tennis Open Championship holding in Agadir, Obiora, a Commonwealth Games medalist was unbeaten to clinch gold in the Women’s Singles Class 1-5.

In a group organised event, she finished ahead of the Moroccan trio of Mariama Guenaoui, Najat Xelomari and Zineb Nmer.

“My coach prepared me well for this Championship, I train every day for two hours”, said Obiora who was clearly delighted to be in Agadir.

Nigeria’s Chineye Obiora in action

“Moroccan players are my biggest opponents and I must prepare myself thoroughly”, added Chineye Obiora. “Here in Morocco they are very friendly and I am very comfortable here.”

Success came the way of Nigeria and to some extent unexpected success, in the guise of Francis Chukwuemeka on the first day of play, at the 1st Morocco Para Open Championships in Agadir.

He won the Men’s Singles Class 9-10 title. Occupying the second seeded position in the competition he finished his first phase matches unbeaten, ahead of Kuwait’s Ali Alsanea and Morocco’s Mohamed El-Mrabet, before accounting for Abdullah Alkhaldi, also from Kuwait, at the semi-final stage (11-2, 11-7, 11-7) and Karim Boumedouha of France, the top seed, in the final (7-11, 11-9, 11-4, 5-11, 11-7).

Earlier, Karim Boumedouha had concluded his group ahead of Kuwait’s Abdullah Alkhaldi and Morocco’s Al-Moutaouakil Bilal, before at the semi-final stage overcoming Ali Alsanea (11-3, 11-7, 11-5).

“Karim and myself are very familiar with each other, we both play in the French League, he has beaten me twice and I have beaten him once”, explained Francis Chukwuemeka, when speaking to Omar Refaat, the 19 year old Press Officer on duty in Agadir
Well known to each other, undoubtedly that fact produced a hard fought contest.

“It was a very close match, I changed my tactics and plans so I could beat him; Karim has a very good serve and also he plays from outside the table very well”, added Francis Chukwuemeka. “I kept changing the direction of the play; that is a major reason why I won.”

Tactical awareness and experience brought Francis Chukwuemeka success.

Nigeria celebrate

“I have been playing in the French league for eight years”, added Francis Chukwuemeka. “Also, I had a tough match in the semi-final against Ali Alsanea. “I had to focus and concentrate more to beat him “

A delighted Njoku Chiwedu, the Nigerian National Coach said:

“Our preparation for the tournament was very excellent”, he said. “My country tried hard to make us ready, they have provided everything for us; they also managed a camp for two months in Nigeria to make us ready.”

“We want to qualify for the Paralympic Games”, stressed Njoku Chiwedu. “There are a many countries competing here, we have tough opponents, I guess Morocco is our biggest opponent but I guess we can make it and win more titles.”

Nigeria’s Francis Chukwuemeka