By Simon Asare
Accra, March 6, GNA – Egypt demonstrated her supremacy in African table tennis as they won gold in the men’s and women’s singles at the ongoing 13th African Games being hosted in Ghana.
Egypt’s Mohamed Assar Omar picked up the gold medal in a very frenetic contest, with Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri edging the latter 4-3 in the finals of the men’s singles.
The two table tennis players demonstrated why they are the two top seeds in Africa after playing some magnificent table tennis, with fans left ecstatic at the Accra International Conference Centre.
Nigeria’s Aruna took an early 2-1 lead in the contest, showcasing his powerful forearm shoots, which caused the Egyptians lots of problems.
But Omar adjusted very well to Aruna’s dominance and staged a late comeback to win the contest in an emotional and pulsating affair.
The women’s singles final also saw two Egyptians, Hana Goda and Dina Meshref, lock horns in a very fascinating encounter after easily sailing through to the grand finale.
Hana Goda, who is Africa’s top table tennis seed, dominated her counterpart to pick the gold, while Meshref settled for the silver medal.
Speaking to GNA Sports after her win, Hana Goda, who won the set 4-2, expressed her delight at being the first winner of the gold medal at the games.
“I am very excited about the win because it was a very difficult encounter. We know each other very well, having played in the finals of four major African championships.
“When I took the 3-0 lead, she started to play very well, and she didn’t give up until the end, so I was very grateful that I finished her up in the last set,” she said.
The two bronze medals in the men’s single category were won by Diaw Ibrahima (Senegal) and Mohamed El-Beiali (Egypt).
In the women’s category, Lucie Mobarek from Algeria and Effong Edem picked up the two bronze medals.
The table tennis competition continues on Wednesday with mix and team doubles and is expected to end on Sunday, March 10, 2024.
GNA