Nigerian star table tennis player Aruna Quadri is in cloud nine after being ranked world No.11 by the International Table Tennis Federation on Sunday.
Quadri broke his own record in the world ranking, after the Nigerian climbed to the 11th spot in the February 2022 ITTF world ratings.
After his quarter-final finish at the 2021 World Championships in Houston, United States, Quadri rose to 14th in the world ranking, to become the first African in history to attain that height.
However, the former African champion raised the bar for African players with the new ranking as the first athlete from the continent to hit 11th spot in the world ranking.
According to the new rating, Quadri’s feat was made possible following his exploits in 2021, as the latest ranking made use of last year’s performances.
Quadri is not resting on his oars, insisting he would have to work harder to be ranked among the best table tennis players globally.
“This is indeed a big challenge for me, and I hope this New Year will bring good tidings as I will have to redouble my efforts to remain on top in the ranking and hopefully make it to the top 10. I also hope this will motivate more Africans to aim high as nothing is impossible in the sport,” Quadri said.
Also, 2021 African champion Omar Assar of Egypt moved five places up to 25th in the world ranking, while Assar’s compatriot Ahmed Saleh occupied 51st place.
Senegal’s Ibrahima Diaw gained eight places in the ranking to be ranked 55th, while 2019 African Games champion Olajide Omotayo also moved up to 86th place.
Six-time African women’s champion Egyptian Dina Meshref remained static in 36th place in the world ranking, while her compatriot – Yousra Helmy gained eight places up 81st.
Nigeria’s Edem Offiong hit the top 100 after gaining nine steps up the ranking as the third best female player in Africa.
The 2021 African champion Mariam Alhodaby, one of the biggest movers in the world, now occupies 126th place in the world after gaining 79 steps up the ladder.
China’s Fan Zhendong maintains his status as the number one table tennis player in the world while China’s Yingsha Sun displaced her compatriot – Chen Meng as the number one female table tennis player in the world, according to the latest ranking released by the world table tennis ruling body.
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