Nigeria’s veteran Table Tennis player, Quadri Aruna, has gained one step up the ladder of the new International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) ranking to become the world’s 12th best player.
The ITTF, quoting from the Week 7 ranking of 2024, released on Tuesday, stated that the African champion displaced former European champion Dimitrij Ovtcharov of Germany who dropped to the 13th place.
According to the statement, Aruna’s performance at the World Table Tennis Star Contender Goa in India, aided him in his quest to rise above the 16th spot where he began this year.
It said Egypt’s Omar Assar though dropped to the 22nd from 20th in the ranking, yet, he still maintained his sway as the continent’s second-best player in the world.
“Egyptian veteran Ahmed Saleh gained one step up the ladder to occupy the 52nd place in the world ranking, while his fellow compatriot Mohamed El-Beiali almost an Egyptian is now ranked 63rd after moving one step up the ranking.
“Taiwo Mati remains Nigeria’s second-best ranked Nigerian in the world as the Portugal-based star moved two steps up to be placed 103 in the world.
“Egypt’s Mamhoud Helmy is the biggest mover in the ITTF ranking as the former African U-21 champion moved 498 steps up the ladder to be ranked 215 in the world.
“In the women’s ranking, Egypt’s Dina Meshref maintained her status as the best ranked African occupying 27th place in the world ranking and she is closely followed by another compatriot Hana Goda who is ranked 30th.
“Fatimo Bello remains Nigeria’s best ranked female player in the world, occupying 116th spot in the world,” it stated.
The statement added that later in the week, Aruna was expected to lead the Nigerian contingent to the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Busan 2024 in South Korea.
It said Aruna would be hoping to improve his world rating as the organisers had decided to award individual ranking points to players based on their team performance at the global tournament.
According to ITTF, the introduction of individual ranking points for Busan is part of a broader strategic initiative designed to provide players and teams with a more comprehensive evaluation of their achievements.
It said this initiative sought to acknowledge individual performances within the framework of team competitions, ultimately elevating the prestige of team events