NIGERIAN table tennis stars, Aruna Quadri and Olufunke Oshonaike, have dropped in the latest International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) world rankings for May 2023.
According to the data published on the World Table Tennis (WTT) website, Quadri dropped from 12th position to 16th after he garnered only 395 points during the month under review.
However, the 2022 African champion maintains the top spot in Africa.
The 34-year-old recorded 350 points at the 2023 ITTF-Africa Cup, in Nairobi Kenya, and earned 45 points at the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships in Durban, South Africa, where he finished in the round of 16.
In the women’s category, the first woman to represent Nigeria at the Olympic games in table tennis, Olufunke Oshonaike, also dropped two spots from 145th position to 147th in the rankings. Another Nigerian, Offiong Edem dropped to 148th.
Other Nigerians in the ranking include, Taiwo Mati, who moved up 16 places from 91st position to 75th in the men’s category.
Also, Olajide Omotayo moved eight points from 163 to 155, while Bode Abiodun moved 10 places from 167th to 157th.
Amadi Omeh moved exponentially in the ranking. He moved 207 places to rank 200 in the world.
Amadi won the WTTC 2024 Western Africa regional qualifications in Accra, Ghana, amassing 75 points.
In the women’s category, Nigeria’s Fatimo Bello moved three steps up from 56th to 53rd.
In the world ranking, the Chinese trio of Fan Zhendong, Wang Chuqpositionsin and Ma Long occupy the top three , respectively, while Tomokazu Harimoto of Japan and Sweden’s Liang Jingkun of China complete the top five.
Brazil’s Hugo Calderano, Lin Gaoyuan and Lin Yun-Ju from China, and Germany’s Dang Qiu and Truls Moregard from Sweden complete the list of the 10 best players in the world for men.
In a related development, Olympic silver medalist Blessing Oborududu who won a record-extending 13th African title at 68kg at the African Championship in Tunisia has been named the Wrestler of the Month for May by the World Wrestling.