Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna will not participate in the Men’s Singles event at the 2024 ITTF Africa Championships in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, due to a thigh injury and fatigue.
The injury forced the tournament No. 2 seed to withdraw from the continental competition.
Aruna, who led Nigeria to a gold medal in the team event against Algeria on October 14, narrated his itinerary since the last two months, attributing his involvement in several competitions as the core for tightness in his hamstring.
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He said: “I’ve been playing in various tournaments for the past two months, often in different time zones. I was in India, Macau, China, and then Saudi Arabia for league matches. After a brief rest at home, I went to the French League for a training camp. Immediately after, I travelled to Ethiopia, which was exhausting. The high altitude in Addis Ababa made it even harder to acclimatise.
“During the team event, I felt pain in my buttock and tightness in my hamstring. It’s crucial to rest now to avoid worsening the injury.”
He stressed on the need to rest for recovery ahead of several tournaments this year, including two more WTT Champions and leagues in Saudi Arabia and France.
“I need to rest to ensure I don’t aggravate the injury,” he said.
Aruna will stay with the team to support the younger players and will depart Addis Ababa with them this weekend.
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