By Victor Kanayo
Nigeria’s table tennis player, Quadri Aruna, has retained his number one status in Africa in the latest world ranking by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).
Aruna’s placement is despite the Player’s slip in one from 23rd to 24th position on the global position, though he maintained his 1,140 ranking points on the table.
But his closest rival, Omar Assar of Egypt is still behind him after the ranking placed him in 26th position with 1,115 points.
Aruna’s current points total is anchored by key performances, including his runner-up finish at the 2025 ITTF African Cup in Tunis, which earned him 350 points, and his semi-final outing at the WTT Star Contender event in Doha earlier this year, which contributed an additional 210 points.
Bello Rise
However, his compatriot Fatima Bello made notable progress in the women’s standings.
While Aruna experienced a slight setback, Fatima Bello provided a silver lining for Nigeria by climbing four places to 92nd in the women’s world rankings with 230 points.
Despite not competing since her appearance at the World Championships in Doha back in May, Bello benefited from favourable ranking adjustments.
Her points haul is underpinned by standout performances such as her semi-final finish at the 2025 ITTF African Cup and a quarter-final berth at the 2024 African Championships.
Her role in Nigeria’s run to the final of the African Team Championships, as well as her round of 64 appearance at the Paris 2024 Olympics, also bolstered her ranking.
