July 26, (THEWILL) – Nigeria’s chances for medals at the ongoing Summer Games in Tokyo, Japan thinned by a factor of one on Monday as Team Nigeria’s table tennis hopeful Offiong Edem was knocked out of the women’s singles event of the competition by a 4-1 margin.
The Nigerian athlete demonstrated her competitiveness in the loss earlier on when she took the first set 15-13 against Team USA’s Lily Zhang at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. It elicited ceremonious cheers in the Nigerian crew and boosted Edem’s confidence.
But the American, who is a five-time US national champion in women’s singles having won the US national championship in 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2019, got back control of the match and took the next two sets comfortably under nine minutes with similar results: 11-2 and 11-2.
Edem had beaten Hungary’s Dora Madarasz in her opening round fixture, 4-1, but could not rein in the rampaging American. The quality she exuded in taking the first set was absent in sets two and three and Zhang was on the verge of knocking her out.
Realising that she was going to be out of contention in the next two sets, the 34-year-old Nigerian marshalled a fight back. Her play showed improvements all round but the quality was not enough in the end with the opponent she was playing against.
Zhang took the third set 11-8 and it ended as a contest when Edem lost 6-11 in the fourth to bring her Olympic race to a quick second round end and close one more opportunity for medals for Team Nigeria.
It also closed the chapter of female tennis for Nigeria at the games after Nigeria’s only other tennis athlete, 45-year-old Funke Oshonaike, lost 1-4 in the very first game of the event to American Juan Liu.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
