Tokyo 2020: Funke Oshonaike begins record-breaking seventh Olympic campaign

…Eke makes debut, as Toko targets quarters

It will be a busy night for the country’s contingents at the ongoing Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games with three athletes competing in the early hours of Saturday.

Competing in her seventh Olympics, Funke Oshonaike will be up against Liu Juan of the United States in the women’s single with the sole aim of making it to the next round while also extending her stay at what will likely be her last Games.

The game will come up at 1 AM and the 46-year-old will be making history as the first African woman to play in seven Olympics, as well as the first woman to join the exclusive ITTF ‘Club of 7’ of players to have competed ay seven Olympic Games.

Oshonaike will not be the only one likely to make history at the Games with Uche Eke set to become the first Nigerian to ever compete in the gymnastics event of the Olympics.

Eke’s first event in the men’s artistic gymnastics event will be the vault and other athletes he will be up against are Wai Hung Shek from Hong Kong, Daniel Corral of Mexico, and Armenian Artur Davtyan. Others are Canada’s Rene Cournoyer and David Huddleston of Bulgaria.

Before Eke takes to the floor, Esther Toko will at midnight take part in the women’s rowing single sculls repechage for an opportunity to get to the quarterfinals after finishing fifth in the early hours of Friday in the heats.

Offiong Edem will also be competing in the women’s singles table tennis event as she takes on Hungary’s Dora Madarasz at noon on Saturday.