Ahmed Olanrewaju Koleosho dreams of Olympics medal

In an interview with Africa Sport Network (ASN), Ahmed Olanrewaju Koleosho Nigeria's ace and multiple gold medalist in Para Table Tennis did not hide his preference for Olympics medal and a podium finish in the next Olympics in Paris.

He spoke passionately about his love for Table Tennis and the path he wants to tread to achieving his lofty dreams at the Olympics.

"There is nothing special in the athletes winning Olympics medals, we are better than those players we face, talent wise.

"What makes some of the Chinese look better than us is on the technical side. At times, we are not exposed to many competitions as they are. 

"During the last Olympics in Japan, we just found out that some of the rules have been changed which other athletes have the knowledge of, but those of us in Nigeria did not know.

"The equipment like the table used for the tournament was different and a bit faster.

"We did not train with such table, so it made it a little harder for us to play on the table that we are not familiar with, while other athletes are well aware of such table and have been training with it.

"Nigeria is blessed with abundance of talents, but we need more exposure to international competitions to sharpen our skills, when this is achieved, we will be on top of our games.

"Sometimes, it gets so bad that we lack funds to attend international competitions which can boost our ranking points. This is not good for us especially qualifying for the Olympics and by extension, competing," he said.

On his experiences at the last Olympics, Ahmed Koleosho, one of Nigeria’s Paralympians to the Tokyo 2020 Games, explained what led to Team Nigeria not winning a medal in the singles events of para-table tennis.

Koleosho said that he and his teammates did not get to the podium because of their respective event’s technicalities.

"It was not out of our inability. Also, it was not that the opponents we faced at the Games were of superior abilities," he said.

Koleosho and his partner, Isau Ogunkunle, failed in their bid to reach the semi-finals of the team event when they lost to a French duo in the quarter-finals.

The Nigerian duo lost 0-2 to the French pair of Florian Merrien and Nicolas Savant in the men’s team Class 4 to 5 event.

They had earlier lost 1-2 to the Argentine pair of Gabriel Copola and Mauro Depergola in the same event.

Koleosho, a 35-year-old Law graduate, said that the Team Nigeria in the Paralympics gave their all in Tokyo and achieved emphatic victory over top-rated stars, especially in table tennis.

He however pointed out that the facilities used during the games hindered their further progress.

"We had good performances at Tokyo 2020. It was a great experience for me and my performance was better than that of Rio 2016.

"I was close to getting on the medals table at the Paralympics before I lost, and I think God just wanted it to go that way," Koleosho added.

He however noted that he needed to go back to the drawing board to make necessary adjustments.

"One thing is sure, we (para-athletes) need more support to help us improve in our events. We need to participate in more competitions, like the European and Asian competitions. This will help a great deal in mastering the technicalities," the Paralympian said.

He however expressed his gratitude to the Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for his intervention before the games.

"But we need more of this kind of support to keep us in shape," said Koleosho, who captained Team Lagos at the 2020 National Sports Festival in Benin.

The para-athlete also pointed out that some of the technicalities which gave their Tokyo 2020 opponents an advantage were in the number of competitions foreign counterparts attended.

"The opponents at the Paralympics were not better than us in terms of skills as we are able to match them. The only edge was that they have got accustomed to the facilities.

"I realised during the Paralympics that those top-rated players are not so special, as the edge only came from the number of competitions they have attended.

"In para-table tennis calendar, we have international competitions ranging from 20 to 25, while these top-rated athletes can attend as many as 15 of them while we may not attend one.

"So, comparing their exposure to competitions, we are lagging behind, because, in racket sports, we need to constantly engage ourselves to improve," he said.

Koleosho added that the facilities used during the Paralympics were different from the ones the Nigerian athletes were familiar with, saying this was another reason for under-performances.

"The tables used during the Paralympics kept changing, especially in terms of speed. So, we needed to familiarise ourselves with the tables and study the movements.

"Also, the flooring and the lighting around the table tennis courts, all had a lot of effect on our performances and they formed the technicalities I am referring to.

"If I get the opportunity to play constantly on these facilities, then I should be able to beat them.

"To drive this point further, that we can match them, everybody can see that I was able to beat top-ranked players.

"I was able to defeat world-ranked numbers five and 10 during the Paralympics.

"So, their rankings are based on the number of competitions they attended which gave them points," he said.

Koleosho however appealed for more support for para-athletes to attend international competitions which would further expose them to the technicalities and improve their rankings.

"We need competitions to get more points for rankings and also expose us to the technicalities of the game. We are appealing for more sponsors to help us achieve the aim of bringing glory to the country.

"We need this support now so that we can be fully prepared for the 2024 Paralympics in Paris," he pleaded.

On how to encourage Special athletes, Koleosho urged corporate organisations to come to the aid of the athletes.

"It can always be a lot better, we are just managing and that’s why we are also telling the private sector to come in because we special athletes are very marketable. 

"There’s nothing bad in using someone like an accomplished athlete like me for endorsement compared to my able athletes. They should look into the special sport athletes as a brand and that would also help and encourage more special athletes," he said.

Ahmed Olanrewaju Koleosho, born in Lagos, enters the Japan 2020 Paralympics as the sole representative from Lagos.

Ahmed Koleosho, a highly rated player in the Team Nigeria entrant had a smoother ride in the Olympics as he equalled the records of fellow players by beating his Ukrainian rival 3-1 to book his spot in the quarter-finals.

Ahmed Koleosho started Table Tennis professionally in 2012 and since then has won lots of laurels for Lagos State and the country. 

He won gold medal at the African championship, several world competitions. 

Koleosho has also been at the Paralympics two times and had represented Lagos State as an athlete not just the special athletes but all athletes when he co-captained Team Lagos to the 21st National Sports Festival (NSF) Tagged Delta 2022, where Lagos State emerged in the 5th position.

Looking forward to early retirement, Koleosho said: "In years to come I want to start doing things that would help persons with disability in the society. 

"I would also like to get involved in things that would help in the discovery of new talents.

"As time goes on we have to look at how we’ve impacted the lives of others and younger talents coming. So, next couple of years, I would be doing what I know how to do, competing and also trying to see how I can start up something that’s on developing talents," he said.

When he was younger, Koleosho had dreamed of being a professional table tennis player, but as his vision began to manifest, his aspirations of playing become more intense.

Koleosho was able to balance his mental health, and eventually discovered what sacrifices are needed to be a good sportman.

He discovered para table tennis at the time others in his state were found on the streets begging for alms.

Now closing on retirement with another Olympics in sight, the three-time Paralympics entrant is aiming an Ambassadorial role focused on helping the next generation of athletes develop resilience and perseverence through challenges in life and sport, sharing a few important lessons he learned along the way.

What really made Ahmed Koleosho's portfolio of more interest is that he is a graduate and not with just ordinary degree, he is armed with a Bachelor's degree in Law from the University of Lagos.

Recently, A 15-man contingent of Team Nigeria’s para-athletes featured at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Lignano Masters Open in Italy.

More than 100 players were featured in the four-day championship, which rewarded the participants with ranking points to bolster their qualification for 2024 Paralympics.

The team, sponsored by the Delta State government, includes Commonwealth medalists, Isau Ogunkunle, Nasiru Sule and Faith Obazuaye. Also in the squad are Tokyo 2020 Paralympics bronze medalist, Tajudeen Agunbiade, Olufemi Alabi, Victor Farinloye, Kayode Alabi, Bolawa Akingbemisilu, Ibrahim Soares, Faith Obiora, Ifechukwude Ikpeoyi, Maimuna Habib, Kehinde Lawal, Ganiyat Shoremekun and Ahmed Koleosho.

The Team competed in the singles, team and doubles’ events and performed excellently with good ranking points.

However, in an interview with Africa Sport Network (ASN), the Media Officer of Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) Olalekan, said that the tournament in Italy only served as ranking points while the real qualifiers will come later.

"I expect Koleosho to qualify because he did well at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Lignano Masters Open in Italy.

"The competition is just a ranking point; one that will help them add to their points needed for the qualification to the Paris 2024.

"The main African Qualifiers for the 2024 Olympics will come up in Egypt in September, the winners of the qualification series will automatically qualify, while others will be graded according to their ranking points," he said.

For Paris 2024, there is high hope that Ahmed Koleosho would be able to surpass the earlier record set at the Japan 2022, where he narrowly crashed out in the quater finals.

A semi-finals berth for Koleosho in the next Olympics in Paris should be enough for him to stand a chance at a podium finish possibly, a gold medal which is not too tough to ask.