Nigeria’s last table tennis participant at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Fatima Bello, was eliminated on Monday after losing 4-0 (11-1, 11-3, 11-3, and 11-5) to France’s Jia Nan Yuan in the women’s singles round of 64.
Her exit follows that of three other Nigerian table tennis players, Aruna Quadri, Olajide Omotayo, and Offiong Edem, who were all defeated in the first round.
Bello, a debutant, struggled to match her opponent’s pace and precision, eventually eliminating her from the competition.
Recall that Edem exited the competition after suffering a 4-0 defeat to Brazil’s Bruna Takahashi in the women’s singles Round of 64.
Omotayo faced a 4-1 loss to Iran’s Noshad Alamiyan, while African champion Aruna suffered a dramatic 4-3 defeat to 19-year-old Romanian Eduard Ionescu.
This marks the first time since the introduction of table tennis at the 1988 Olympics that no Nigerian player managed to secure at least one win in the competition.
