Nigeria's Aruna emerges as only top-rated African for Paris 2024 Olympics table tennis ranking

Posted : 17 July 2024

As the ITTF released the rankings ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics, Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna and Egypt’s Omar Assar have been seeded in 14th and 16th places, respectively, in the Men’s Singles event.

Also, the likes of Nigeria’s Olajide Omotayo, Egypt’s Mohammed El-Beiali, Algeria’s Mehdi Bouloussa, Senegal’s Ibrahima Diaw, and Congo Brazzaville’s Saheed Idowu are expected to learn their first-round opponents when the draws take place on July 24.

According to the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), the seeding list was based on the ITTF World Rankings.

Aruna, who is ranked 19th in the world, has been seeded 14th, while Assar, rated 22nd, has been seeded 16th. They are expected to begin their campaigns from the second round of the Men’s Singles.

In the Women’s Singles seeding list, Egypt’s Dina Meshref narrowly missed the top 16, conceding the 16th place to WTT Contender Lagos champion, India’s Sreeja Akula.

With this development, Meshref, who is seeded 17th, and her compatriot Hana Goda, seeded 20th, will begin their campaigns from the second round of the Women’s Singles.

Nigeria’s pair of Offiong Edem and Fatimo Bello, as well as Cameroon’s Sarah Hanffou and Algeria’s Lynda Loghraibi, will also start their quest for glory from the second round of the Women’s Singles.

As table tennis celebrates its 10th appearance at the Olympic Games, this list sets the stage for captivating battles across all categories.

World No. 1, China’s Wang Chuqin, takes the top seed in the Men’s Singles event, followed by compatriot and Tokyo 2020 silver medalist, Fan Zhendong.

Both players will aim to secure their first gold medal in Men’s Singles and become the sixth Chinese player to win the Men’s Singles gold.

French favorite, Felix Lebrun, seeded third, is a strong contender for a podium finish after a recent ITTF World Championships team silver medal and a strong showing at the WTT Star Contender Ljubljana.

Additionally, Brazil’s Hugo Calderano and Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yun-Ju have been named the fourth and fifth seeds in the Men’s Singles draw.

China remains a major force in Women’s Singles, but their top seeds face fierce competition. Sun Yingsha, with a recent World Championships title and World Cup victory, stands at the top of the list. The reigning Tokyo 2020 champion, Chen Meng, sits just behind, setting the stage for a potential clash and a repeat of the 2020 gold medal match.

However, the Chinese stars will face strong competition from the rest of the field. Japan’s Hina Hayata, seeded third, 2023 WTT Contender Lagos’s Shin Yubin of Korea Republic, seeded fourth, and Romania’s Bernadette Szocs, seeded fifth, have all proven their ability to threaten China in major tournaments.

There will be fierce battles in the Team Events and Mixed Doubles. China remains the top seed in both Men’s and Women’s Team events, but established teams like Germany and Japan are determined to dethrone them.

In the Mixed Doubles, China’s Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha, the top seeds, will face stiff competition from Japan’s Hina Hayata and Tomokazu Harimoto, who are seeded second, and third seeds, Korea’s Lim Jonghoon and Shin Yubin.

Nigeria's Aruna emerges as only top-rated African for Paris 2024 Olympics table tennis ranking

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