Paris 2024: Nigerian Table Tennis players achieve unprecedented first in 36 years at the Olympics

Nigeria's dreams of table tennis glory at the Paris 2024 Olympics have been dashed, as the country's last remaining hope, Fatimo Bello, was eliminated in the women's singles round of 64.

Bello, making her Olympic debut, struggled to keep pace with the swiftness and precision of France's Jia Nan Yuan, suffering a 4-0 defeat (1-11, 3-11, 3-11, 5-11).

The Nigerian was unable to find her rhythm, managing only a single point in the opening set and failing to reach double figures in any of the four sets. Yuan's dominance proved too much for the debutant.

This is the first time since the introduction of table tennis at the 1988 Olympics that no Nigerian player has registered at least one win at the Games.

The early exit of Fatimo Bello comes on the heels of another devastating blow for Nigeria's table tennis ambitions. 

Aruna Quadri, one of the country's biggest medal hopes, suffered a heartbreaking upset in the men's singles event.

Quadri, competing in his fourth consecutive Olympics, appeared to be in control of his match against Romania's Eduard Ionescu, racing to a comfortable 3-0 lead. 

However, the 20-year-old Romanian staged an incredible fightback, winning the next three sets to level the match at 3-3.

In the decider, it was Ionescu who prevailed 13-11, crushing Quadri's dreams and leaving Nigerian fans in despair.

Offiong Edem also saw her Olympic journey come to an abrupt end, losing 4-0 to Brazil's Bruna Takahashi in the women's singles round of 64.

The premature exits of Quadri Aruna, Olajide Omotayo, and now Fatimo Bello and Offiong Edem have dealt a massive blow to Nigeria's hopes of securing table tennis medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

As the curtain falls on Nigeria's table tennis campaign, the country will be left to regroup and look ahead to future opportunities to reclaim its place as a table tennis powerhouse on the global stage.