Nigeria, Egypt Rule ITTF African Junior Championships

Nigeria, Egypt Rule ITTF African Junior Championships

Nigeria and Egypt confirmed their status as the powerhouses of table tennis in Africa as both counties shared the medals available in the team event of the ongoing ITTF African Junior and Cadet Championships, claiming gold in cadet, junior and U-21 divisions.

Unlike in the past, where most of the events were dominated by Egypt in the boys’ category, returnee Nigeria, which has been absent in the last two editions of the competition, halted the North Africans’ dominance in Accra, Ghana.

Pointers to what would happen yesterday were apparent on Tuesday when the Nigerian boys shocked Egypt in the semifinal of the U-21 with a 3-2 win.

Even the presence of the Africa’s number one in the U-21 category, Mamoud Helmy, did not intimidate the Nigerian team as they ensured that they stopped Egypt from reigning in the event.

Nigeria again showed its supremacy over Egypt in the junior boys final as they walloped the Egyptians 3-0 to claim gold.

In the final of the cadet category, Nigeria reigned over Tunisia with a 3-0 win to add to their gold medals of the night.

But the Egyptians retaliated for their boys’ team in the girls’ finals, as the North Africans ruled over Nigeria in the cadet and junior finals to claim gold.

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