Chinedu Nick and Ahmed Koleosho are the male athletes representing Nigeria in the table tennis event of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games but they are not limited by their maiden appearance as they are eager to make a mark in Brazil.
Chinedu Nick had to qualify through a tripartite slot while giant-killing Ahmed Kolesho defied odds to berth at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.
What started as a hobby for Chinedu Nick, a class five player, has now become a vocation for him after he suffered some losses in his business. “I was into business before but when I had some challenges I was in a fix not knowing what next to do. But prior to this, table tennis has been a hobby to me when I was young after suffering polio. And when things were not going well, I decided to use the sport to erase the memory of the loss and before I knew what was happening I started winning some major matches. I started taking the sport serious in 2008 and in 2013 I was taking part in an international competition where I won a medal. After the US trip I began to put more efforts into the game because I was confidence that something would come out of it. So when I went for the Paralympic Qualifiers in Morocco in 2015, I played well in the Morocco Open but I was unlucky to get automatic ticket. I was so happy when I was told that I will be at the games through the tripartite slot,” he explained.
For Chinedu Nick, competing at the Paralympic Games is a dream for every athlete being the biggest sporting event in the world. “I cannot tell you how I feel at the moment particularly as the games is getting closer. We have been training hard in the last three months for the games and I know I will get something at the end of the competition in Brazil,” he added.
Unlike Chinedu Nick, Ahmed Koleosho who started table tennis four years ago, has broken all records after beating national champion, Oluade Igbilola and went ahead to conquer the African champion, Egypt’s Aly Mohamen Nasr to secure his place at the games. “I am yet to come to terms that within four years, I am playing at the Paralympic Games and this is the first time and for me it is awesome. But my going to Brazil will not just be to participate. I am going there to compete and win medal which I believe is possible,” the University of Lagos computer science graduate said.
The 30 year-old employee of the Lagos State Ministry of Science of Technology, who will compete in class three event, believes his going to Brazil would give him the chance to prove his mettle against some of the world’s best.
Also, the handler of Nigeria’s para table tennis team, Njoku Chinedu believes the players are fully ready to face the world. “I think since we started the training few months ago, the players have continued to improve and I am hoping that with the way they are going, they have the qualities and abilities to return to Nigeria with medals. Now we are the in the final phase of the camping exercise and I hope they can take this form to Brazil,” the coach who was at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games in Australia said.
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