Since 2009 when 23-year old Aruna Quadri announced his emergence in Africa's table tennis circuit by winning the Africa Singles Cup in Rabat, Morocco, the player has continued to maintain his status as one of the shining stars in the continent. In his first season in the Portuguese elite league, Quadri stunned top European and Asian players to become the number one ranked player and he also helped his club to finish second. His performance attracted other top teams in the Portuguese League and another top team signed him up for this season.The Oyo State-born player also became the first Nigerian to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games ahead of other top Nigerian players at the just concluded All Africa Games in Mozambique, where he picked bronze in the singles event as the only Nigerian that made it to the last four of the event. It was his maiden appearance at the tourney. The Union Bank of Lagos erstwhile star told OLALEKAN OKUSAN that for Nigeria to wrestle the title from Egypt, there must be conscious efforts to support the game in the country, while his target in London is to cause the biggest upset.HOW did you feel when Egypt dethroned Nigeria in the table tennis event of the All Africa Games in Maputo'I felt so bad when we lost to the Egyptians in the team final because it was a disgrace that we lost 0-3 in the presence of our Sports Minister. We lost because they are more exposed than us. They had featured in various international competitions before the Games while Segun Toriola, Monday Merotohun and I featured in just two competitions, to which we even sponsored ourselves. I think we really need the help of the Sports Ministry to regain the lost glory from the Egyptians. This can be done if we, especially the younger players, are sponsored to more international competitions.Before the Games you set the target of qualifying for London 2012 Olympics and also winning the singles title. Can you say you are fulfilled'I had two aims to achieve before the Games started, which were to qualify for London 2012 Olympics and also to win the singles title. To qualify for the Olympics was my main target because I know that winning the singles title is going to be tough. It was not that I did not believe in myself but I knew that it was dicey. I really thank God for making my main goal a reality and I am also appreciating what God has done for me with the bronze medal after becoming the last man standing for my country. I was a fulfilled man in Maputo.What do you think went wrong with the men's team against Egypt'The only thing that went wrong in the team event final against Egypt was that we were not as exposed as they. We all train in our different clubs but training without playing tournaments consistently is nothing. They are more current than us in terms of tourneys. Winner of the singles event, Assar Omar, has been sponsored to various competitions, likewise his compatriots like Ahmed Saleh, El-Sayed Lashin and others immediately after the 2007 Algiers Games because they wanted to dethrone Nigeria in Maputo, which they did.I think if we can also be given opportunity to play competitions regularly, we will surely do better. A good example is junior sensation, Ojo Onaolapo, who got the International Table Tennis Federation scholarship for just a year and we could see from his performance that he improved greatly and this reflected in his excellent outing at the maiden Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, where he got to the quarter-final stage.What gave Egypt edge over Nigeria'Two things gave them chances over us. Firstly, they are serious about youth development and it was through this they discovered Omar and most of their junior female players, who now make up their senior national team, were products of the programme. Also, they attend international competitions to gain exposure and be tested. Most times they go on training tour of China to the extent that before the Maputo Games, they were in China for two months preparing for the championship. All these gave them opportunity to be ahead of us.What is your assessment of table tennis in terms of standard and organisation in Maputo'The standard of table tennis in Maputo was higher than before because most countries that took part in the game really prepared adequately. We had difficulties against North African teams like Algeria and Mauritius but they were not as strong as the Egyptians. Countries like Congo Brazzaville, Ghana, South Africa and a host of others have also improved a lot. But I think the organisation was superb and the facilities of good standard.Some of the players in the Nigerian team had represented the country at various competitions and had participated in more than two AAG editions. Do you think they are still relevant in the team'Some of them are still useful to the team. Merotohun is not too old to play while Toriola can still be role model to us and will help the team to grow players because we still have a lot to learn from him. Finally, a former player, who is now based in Italy ' Michael Oyebode, should be encouraged because he is a fantastic trainer.How do you feel being the only Nigerian that made it to the semi-final in Maputo'I felt great making it to the semi-final stage in Maputo but I was not too happy being alone there because the likes of Toriola and Seun Ajetunmobi really did great but lost narrowly to Omar in the round of 16 and quarter-final respectively. If I was not alone in semi-final, something good might have happened, but it very difficult to escape in the midst of the three toughest Egyptians.Being your first appearance at the AAG, what can you say you gained from the tourney'I gained a lot from Toriola, Merotohun and Kazeem Nosiru. I also discovered how to make a good service as well as return serves, which are the most important things when playing doubles and singles events. In addition, the national coach, Nosiru Bello, was helpful because in each match, he most times pointed out my mistakes, which I did not repeat in my next game.How do you think Nigeria can win back the title from Egypt in the next AAG'The only way we can regain our lost glory from Egypt is by exposing some of our upcoming players to international competitions and before this, the likes of Onaolapo, Bode Abiodun, Jide Ogidiolu, Kayode Adedeji and Sola Oyetayo should be prepared to be part of the team and they must also be exposed by ensuring that they attend international competitions on regular basis. They can be sent to countries like China or Austria. In Austria, the Werner Schlarger Academy is the right place for them to go. After this training, we must assess them by allowing them to take part in pro tours. Training facilities should be provided for these players to get acquainted with in order to improve their games.Having qualified alongside Toriola for the Olympics, what kind of preparation do you think Nigeria should put in place for you to do well in London'To perform better in London Olympics, Toriola and I need to be playing competitions regularly and two months before the Olympics, we should go to China on training tour so that we can learn several tactics from the Chinese players. If China is not possible, another favourable environment to improve rapidly is the Werner Schlarger Academy in Austria.What lessons do you think the team leant in Maputo'We learnt that preparation holds the key to good outing in any competition. We should have started build-up to the Games two years before the event. We should also know that youth development programme is very important to discover new players rather than banking on the old ones. It is true that I invested a lot of time and resources to get to this stage of my career, but I want to say that this would not have been possible without the help of God, including the support I got from my parents, because they believe I will get to this level.I had their support financially and morally, which are every important. All these spurred me to work harder and I also believe in myself. I will like to say the best is yet to come from me because I believe I still have a lot to offer to Nigeria in the game. For the upcoming players, my advice is that they keep working harder and always believe that they can do it better than others. They should not be tired but should desire to acquire what they admire.What is your target for the 2012 London Olympics'My target is to perform beyond the expectation of Nigerians and also to cause the biggest upset during the Games.
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