Nigeria and Iraq table tennis para-players exerted their dominance securing six gold medals each at the 2024 Lagos Valuejet Para Table Tennis Open, which concluded over the weekend at the Molade Okoya-Thomas indoor sport hall, inside Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos.
The 3-days ITTF Factor 20 tournament saw intense competition among the players from the United Kingdom, Iraq, Iran, Cameroon, Togo, Benin Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, and Nigeria, participating in both singles and doubles events.
However, despite Nigeria’s strong performance throughout the tournament, Iraq’s Muntadher Al Sarraji narrowly defeated Paris 2024 Paralympic Games bronze medalist, Isau Ogunkunle, 3-2 to win the gold in the Men’s Singles Class 3-4 final.
The match watched by top dignitaries and tennis enthusiasts ended with Al Sarraji silencing the home crowd with a 13-11 win in the deciding game.
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Speaking with newsmen, the president of the Paralympic Committee of Nigeria (PCN), Sunday Odebode, stressed that this year’s tournament showcased the remarkable skills of physically challenged athletes, who demonstrated unwavering dedication and perseverance.
“The event also unearthed new talents who made their mark on the para table tennis scene.
“We are thrilled that the tournament continues to grow by leaps and bounds. The registration this year was impressive, and we are happy to see the event attracting more players worldwide,” he said
The ITTF Para Manager, Pablo Perez, highlighted Nigeria’s growing influence in para table tennis, saying that it has motivated the ITTF to support the tournament as one of the sanctioned events in Africa.
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