Isau Ogunkunle and Kayode Alabi delivered impressive performances to upset the top seeds in the Men’s Class 4 and 6 categories, earning their places in the quarterfinals of the table tennis event at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
Ogunkunle, who reached the quarterfinals at Tokyo 2020, faced world No. 3 Abdullah Ozturk from Turkey.
Despite losing the first game 6-11, Ogunkunle made a remarkable comeback, winning the next three games 11-6, 11-7, and 12-10 to advance to the Men’s Class 4 quarterfinals.
Alabi, who had struggled in the Mixed and Doubles events, found his form with a 3-1 victory over world No. 3 Bobi Simion from Croatia (16-18, 11-7, 5-11, 9-11), earning his place in the Men’s Class 6 quarterfinals.
But Bolawa Akingbemisilu put up a spirited effort in the Men’s Class 5 category but was narrowly defeated 3-2 (11-7, 7-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-8) by Brazil’s Lucas Arabian.
National coach Nasiru Sule expressed his delight at Ogunkunle and Alabi’s victories, adding the duo are morale boosters for the team.
“I am so happy today that our players lived up to expectations. It has not been easy in the last few days, but today we showed that we can turn things around,” Sule, the Atlanta 1996 bronze medallist, said.
“Ogunkunle’s comeback against a two-time Paralympic gold medallist stunned everyone at the venue. His opponent won gold in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, and today Ogunkunle has shown he has the quality of a champion.
“I am also happy for Alabi, who defeated the world No. 3 from Croatia. This shows we are still in the hunt for medals in Paris,” he added.
For the quarterfinal ties today, Ogunkunle will lock horns against France’s Maxime Thomas while Alabi will confront Thailand’s Rungroj Thainiyom. Meanwhile, Christiana Alabi will take on Chile’s Tamara Leonelli in the Women’s Class 5, while Abiola Adesope will clash against France’s Lucas Didier in the Men’s Class 9.