Table Tennis: Nigeria’s Medal Hopes Dashed as Kuti, Ojo Crash Out in Dakar 2026

Nigeria’s quest for a table tennis medal at the ongoing Dakar 2026 championship suffered a significant setback on Thursday as both Segun Kuti and Funke Ojo were eliminated, dashing the nation’s medal hopes. According to LEADERSHIP Newspapers, Kuti lost his quarterfinal match to Tunisia’s Firas Abdel-Nour, while Ojo was ousted by Egypt’s Yara El-Walied in the women’s singles. The disappointing performances mean Nigeria will not be represented in the semifinals of the championship. The losses come as a surprise, considering Kuti’s impressive form leading up to the event. He had won the Nigerian National Table Tennis Championships in March and was seen as a strong contender for a medal in Dakar. However, the 27-year-old’s dream of becoming Nigeria’s first male table tennis medallist at the Africa Games was dashed by Abdel-Nour. As for Ojo, her loss means she will also miss out on a chance to add to her two African Games medals (silver in 2015 and bronze in 2019). The Nigerian Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) has not yet commented on the situation. This latest setback for Nigeria’s table tennis team comes after they failed to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Nigerian table tennis fans will now be hoping for better results at the 2027 African Games.