Sports

Legend Segun Toriola bows out of Rio

Published

8 years ago

August 8, 2016

The legendary performance of Segun Toriola at the ongoing Rio 2016 Olympic Games came to a glorious end on Sunday after the record making African was edged out by Japan’s Niwa Koki in the men’s singles event of table tennis.

Despite his exit, the world table tennis ruling body, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) plans to organise a ceremony in Rio to honour the Nigerian for his Olympic feat after making his seventh appearance at the Olympic Games being the first African to achieve the feat.

Toriola who is ranked 120 in the world, had on Saturday August 6 bundled out Czech Republic’s Dimitrij Prokopcov in the first round.

Read also: Mother, son make history at Rio

Playing against a higher ranked Prokopcov in the first round of the Men’s Singles event, the African legend pulled off an impressive performance against his opponent with a 4-2 (8-11, 11-6, 11-8, 9-11, 11-8, 11-8) win to end the Czech’s Olympic dream in Rio.

In the second round tie against the Japanese ranked 22 in the world, Toriola put up a good fight as the young Asian was made to work hard for his victory against the veteran.

To exit the competition, Toriola fell 11-9, 5-11, 7-11, 11-4, 6-11, 1-11 (4-2) to the Japanese star.

RipplesNigeria …without borders, without fears

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now