Paris 2024: Nigeria's Table Tennis stars begin the journey for Olympic Gold

Nigeria's top table tennis players, Quadri Aruna and Omotayo Olajide, are set to compete in the round of 64 of the men's singles at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Aruna, a veteran of three Olympics, is determined to improve on his previous best result of reaching the quarterfinals in Rio 2016.

"While winning a medal is the ultimate goal, giving my best performance is equally important. I'm confident in my abilities and believe I can achieve great things this time," Aruna stated.

Olajide, who will be making only his second appearance at the Olympics, is eager to make a strong impact.

"My second appearance at the Olympics means a lot to me. Qualifying from Africa is challenging due to the high level of competition.

"I faced a significant drop in ranking last year, which made my qualifications uncertain. However, I'm grateful to have reclaimed my spot and earned the opportunity to represent Nigeria," he said.

Omotayo Olajide will face Iran's Noshad Alamiyan on Saturday at 7:00 PM Nigerian time, while Quadri Aruna will play against Romania's Eduard Ionescu two hours and fifteen minutes later.

Meanwhile, in the women's singles, Nigeria's Offiong Edem and Fatimo Bello will also compete.

Edem will face Brazil's Bruna Takahashi on Sunday at 9:00 PM, while Bello's match against France's Jia Nan Yuan is scheduled for Monday at 9:00 AM.