Table tennis star, Omotayo targets success at Tokyo Olympics

Lagos-state born table tennis player, Olajide Omotayo, who will be making his debut at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics has expressed his eagerness to establish himself as one of Africa’s best representatives in Japan.

The athlete believes knowing his first-round opponent would help him to know his fate in Tokyo.

Omotayo who is based in Italy was the first Nigerian and African to win a match at the World Table Tennis (WTT) events in Doha, Qatar.

He is currently ranked the 92nd player in the world by the international table tennis federation (ITTF).

Omotayo, therefore, said he is excited about being part of Team Nigeria to Tokyo.

“I feel happy and at the same very proud of myself for qualifying for my first Olympic Games because I have always wanted to achieve this dream. It is only God that has made it possible. “Winning the African Games gold in 2019 has really boosted my confidence going into the Olympic Games. The win made me realise that impossibility is nothing as nobody saw the performance coming but I knew within me that I am capable of defeating any player in Africa.

“All I needed was to play freely without thinking about the podium. I did that, it really worked for me in the end.

“My target is to go to Tokyo and play at my best because I know if I play at my best, good results will follow. The advantage of the postponement is that it has afforded me more time to train and work hard for the games,” said Omotayo.