Nigeria claims first gold, wins team silver at ITTF

Junior Circuit in Egypt Amadi Omeh and Azeez Solanke claimed the first gold medal for Nigeria at the 2016 ITTF Junior Circuit tagged Egypt Open after beating Egypt’s pair of Attia Ammar and Elsafty Omar in the cadet boys’ double event.

From the group stage, Omeh and Solanke formed a strong force to berth in the final.

Despite losing the first game 11-7, the Nigerian teenagers fought well to claim the victory by winning the next three games with 8-11,11-7,11-4 to fetch Nigeria its first gold medal at the tournament holding at the Cairo International Stadium.

However, Omeh failed to retain his cadet boys’ singles title after he narrowly lost to Egypt’s Farouk Mazen 5-11,11-9,11-8,7-11,11-7 in the quarterfinal. Abayomi Animasahun was also edged out at same stage by India’s Jain Payas 8-11,5-11,11-9,11-5,9-11.

The only Nigerian that scaled the quarterfinal hurdle was Azeez Solanke, who defeated Egypt’s Elborhamy Ahmed 11-9,12-14,8-11,11-5,11-6 to set up a semifinal clash against Animasahun’s conqueror, India’s Payas.