By Etienne Mainimo Mengnjo
Nigerian table tennis star, Quadri Aruna, has been forced to withdraw from the Men’s Singles event at the 2024 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Africa Championships in Addis Ababa due to a thigh injury and fatigue.
Despite leading Nigeria to a gold medal in the team event against Algeria on October 14, Aruna had to pull out of his second-round match against Benin Republic’s Dodji Fanny.
Aruna explained, “I’ve been playing in various tournaments for the past two months, often in different time zones. I was in India, Macau, China, and then Saudi Arabia for league matches. After a brief rest at home, I went to the French League for a training camp. Immediately after, I traveled to Ethiopia, which was exhausting. The high altitude in Addis Ababa made it even harder to acclimatize.”
He added, “During the team event, I felt pain in my buttock and tightness in my hamstring. It’s crucial to rest now to avoid worsening the injury.”
With several tournaments still ahead this year, including two more World Table Tennis (WTT) Champions and leagues in Saudi Arabia and France, Aruna emphasized the importance of recovery. “I need to rest to ensure I don’t aggravate the injury,” he said.
Aruna will stay with the team to support the younger players and will depart Addis Ababa with them this weekend.
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