Team Nigeria commenced action in this year’s Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Japan with a series of defeats, as all players lined out for the wheelchair table tennis event lost their matches.
Megasportsarena.com reports that, while Australian para-cyclist, Paige Greco won the first gold medal of the Games on Wednesday, Nigeria failed to win any of the matches its players were involved in.
Five of six Nigerian table tennis entries lost their opening matches, but coach of the side, Sunday Odebode insists his wards remain in great physical and mental shape to salvage their chances in the games ahead.
In the men’s table tennis singles, Sydney 2000 gold medalist, Tajudeen Agunbiade lost by three straight sets (5-11; 7-11 and 6-11) to Mai Ivan of Ukraine, while Ahmed Koleosho, who was at the Rio 2016 Games, fell 5-11; 3-11 and 8-11 to Bruechl Thomas of Germany in class C.
Also in the men’s singles, Olufemi Alao lost at 6-11, 4-11 and 9-11 to Lian Hao of China after conceding 16 points from his serves, while Victor Farinloye put up a strong fight against Didukh Victor of Ukraine.
Farinloye cut off a 6-11 first set deficit to take the next two sets 11-7, 11-9, but Didukh had the upper hand in the succeeding sets, finishing at 11-9 and 11-3 to win the match 3-2.
In the women’s singles, Faith Bazuaye, the only woman in the Nigerian table tennis team, started well against Wen Tien Shiau of Chinese Taipei, narrowly losing the first set in 9-11, but she soon crumbled and fell 11-3, 11-3 in the succeeding sets.
Obazuaye was beaten 3-0 by Wen Tien, as the 24-year-old set a world record time of 3 minutes, 50.815 seconds to win the women’s 3000 metres individual pursuit at Izu Velodrome.
Greco’s gold was one of the six Australia won at the close of activities on Day 1 to top the medals table ahead of China who has five gold and Russia with three gold.
Nonetheless, Coach Odebode will look for better fortune on Thursday, when all six players are scheduled to be on board again, as Ogunkunle Isau will take his first taste of action with two games against Thomas Maxime of France and Saleh Sameh Mohamed of Egypt.
Agunbiade and Obazuaye will be up against Chinese siblings, Zhao Yi Qing and Zhao Xiaoping, respectively, in their second games, while Olufemi Alabi is matched against Joel Coughlan of Australia and Koleosho will take on Petruniv Vasyl of Ukraine.
