Nigeria’s Esther Oribamise has qualified for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games holding in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The Nigerian and Egypt’s duo of Marwa Alhodaby and Youssef Abdel-Aziz as well as Tunisia’s Nathael Hamdoun all earned their berths at the Games on Monday.
Oribamise qualified for next year’s Youth Olympics after defeating Alhodaby in the final of the girls’ singles at the African Continental Qualification tournament held at the Palais Des Sport El-Mensah in Tunis, Tunisia
She claimed the top spot of the event in a 4-3 victory of 11-6, 11-9, 9-11, 12-10, 8-11, 7-11, 13-11.
Speaking on her victory, Oribamise said: “I think I was ready for her but I could not just fathom what happened when I was leading 3-1 in games and 4-1 in points in the fifth game only to lose the game.
“Even in the seventh game, I was leading 8-2 and she caught up with me at 9-9, but I was calm to finish the match at 13-11. This victory and qualification for the Youth Olympic Games means a lot to me particularly after missing the ITTF African Junior and Cadet Championships. I have proved a point to my compatriots that the Egyptians are beatable and they just need to believe in themselves.”
