Nigeria’s DTigress have exited the women’s basketball event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games with their heads held high, despite a 74-88 loss to Team USA.
The Afrobasket champions may have been underdogs, but they achieved historic and unprecedented success, winning the hearts of basketball fans across Africa and beyond.
Coach Rene Wakama and her players put on an impressive performance, not allowing themselves to be disgraced by the Americans in the quarterfinal fixture last night.
Team USA continued their pursuit of an eighth successive women’s basketball Olympic gold medal and will now face Australia in the semifinals, while Nigeria became the first African side, male or female, to reach the quarterfinals of an Olympic Games.
Although Nigeria registered a win on their Olympic debut in Athens in 2004, it took them 20 years to secure their second victory by defeating Australia in their opening pool game on July 29. However, overcoming the highly experienced USA proved to be a step too far.
DTigress trailed the USA by nine points at the end of the first quarter, and that deficit grew to 19 by halftime. The USA further asserted their dominance in the third quarter, opening up a 28-point advantage and eventually securing a comfortable victory at Accor Arena.
Since women’s basketball debuted at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, the USA has won nine out of a possible 12 gold medals.
The other semifinal on Friday will feature hosts France against Belgium, following their victories over Germany and Spain, respectively.
France, who won silver at London 2012 and bronze at Tokyo 2020, will be aiming to complete their set of Olympic medals with a gold on home soil. Belgium’s women made their Olympic debut in 2020, finishing seventh, but are now guaranteed to compete for a medal in Paris after their win against Spain.
The two losing nations in the semifinals will battle for the bronze medal.
Assar Reclaims Top Spot as Africa’s Best-ranked Star
. Aruna slides to 20 as Omotayo returns to top 100
In a remarkable turn of events, Omar Assar’s performance at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games has propelled him up the world rankings.
The Egyptian table tennis star has climbed five places and secured the 17th spot in the ITTF Ranking, as announced on Tuesday, August 6, during Week 32 of 2024.
Assar’s rise has made him the top-ranked player in African table tennis, surpassing Quadri Aruna, who now holds the 20th place.
Despite a disappointing 4-1 loss to Sweden’s Truls Moregard in the Men’s Singles quarterfinals, Assar has set a new African record by becoming the first player from the continent to reach consecutive quarterfinals in the Olympics, matching Nigeria’s Aruna who achieved this feat in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
Senegal’s Ibrahima Diaw, despite an early exit, has climbed six places to 83rd. Olajide Omotayo, the 2019 African Games champion, has jumped 12 places to 92nd, becoming the second-highest mover in Africa.
Nigeria-born Saheed Idowu, representing Congo Brazzaville, lost a thrilling 4-3 match to Sweden’s Anton Kallberg but impressed many by moving up 16 places to the 100th spot.
Egypt’s Dina Meshref continues to dominate the African rankings, moving up two places to 24th, while Hana Goda has also made gains, rising to 31st. Nigeria’s Offiong Edem has re-entered the top 100, climbing 14 places to 97th.
The retired Cameroonian star Sarah Hanffou concluded her career ranked 109th, while Nigeria’s Fatimo Bello made significant progress, jumping 26 places to 118th in the latest rankings.
These movements in the rankings reflect the dynamic and competitive nature of African table tennis, showcasing the talent and resilience of its players on the global stage.
Discover more from Tension News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.