Algeria’s Mehdi Bouloussa and Nigeria’s Fatimo Bello have clinched the last two African slots for the Paris 2024 Olympics at the African Table Tennis Olympic Qualification Tournament held at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, on Saturday.
Bello earned her place at the Paris 2024 Olympics by defeating Algeria’s Lynda Loghraibi 4-2 (11-5, 11-7, 11-8, 5-11, 9-11, 11-9) in the second stage of the qualifying championships. This victory marks Bello’s debut at the Olympic Games.
With her triumph in the women’s singles event, Bello becomes the third Nigerian to qualify for Paris 2024, joining Olajide Omotayo and Offiong Edem, who secured their spots during the first stage of qualifiers on May 17.
Algeria’s Mehdi Bouloussa, after a narrow 3-4 loss to Tunisia’s Wassim Essid in the quarterfinals of the first stage, bounced back to secure the final ticket in the men’s singles by defeating Saheed Idowu of Congo Brazzaville (16-14, 11-4, 11-8, 11-4). This will be Bouloussa’s first Olympic appearance.
Bouloussa expressed his delight, attributing his qualification to years of hard work.
In addition to Bello and Bouloussa, Nigeria’s Offiong Edem and Olajide Omotayo, Cameroon’s Sarah Hannfou, and Madagascar’s Fabio Rakotoarimanana have also qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics, having secured their spots earlier in the tournament.
Offiong Edem was the first to secure her place at the Paris 2024 Olympics with a hard-fought 4-3 victory over Tunisia’s Fadwa Garci in the semifinals. Edem, who will be attending her fifth Olympic Games, overcame Garci in a challenging match (11-9, 8-11, 11-13, 11-1, 11-8, 11-6).
The tournament, hosted by the Rwanda Table Tennis Federation, spanned three days and featured over 50 players from 15 countries.
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