Africa’s all-time best table tennis player, Quadri Aruna successfully defended his title on Sunday at the 2023 edition which was hosted in Tunis, Tunisia.
The 35-year-old who won the title in Algiers in 2022 defeated Ahmed Saleh 4-0 (11-2, 12-10, 11-6, 11-6) in a thrilling final.
Aruna who is currently ranked 1st in Africa and 18th in the world with a total of 1110 points, defeated fellow Nigerian, Olajide Omotayo with a commanding 4-0 victory (12-10, 11-6, 11-9, 11-2) in the semi-finals to advance to the final.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian duo of Funke Oshonaike and Fatimo Bello who partnered in the women’s doubles event won the first gold medal at the championship, defeating Cameroon’s Sarah Hanffou and Egypt’s Marwa Alhldaby 3-2 (11-8, 8-11, 11-4, 7-11, 12-10) in a pulsating final.
It is noteworthy that the ITTF Africa Championship will serve as a qualification tournament for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.