By: Felix Ikpotor
Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri has made history by becoming the first African to reach the quarter-finals of the Olympic Games table tennis event on Monday after he beat London 2012 bronze medalist and Germany’s Timo Boll 4-2 in the fourth round of the men’s singles.
He defeated the world number 13 in 16 minutes as he won his third game in Rio, to send Brazilian fans, into rapturous celebrations.
Quadri, 28, is attending his second Olympics.
He defeated Boll 12-10 in the first set before taking the second and third sets 12-10, 11-5, but Boll regrouped and won the next two sets 11-3, 11-5. However, the Nigerian, who is currently ranked 40, took the sixth set 11-9.
Quadric who won the 2014 ITTF Star Player of the Year had earlier in the third round defeated world number seven, Chinese Taipei’s Chang Chun-Yuan, to book a place against Boll.
He is expected to play the winner of China’s Ma Long and Korea’s Jeoung Youngsik match.
Team Nigeria’s assistant captain, Funke Oshonaike, hailed Quadri for his heroic performance against the German.
