Table Tennis Profile: Segun Moses Toriola
Segun Moses Toriola has dominated the All Africa Games for the last 16 years before Omar Assar of Egypt defeated him during the quarter-final. Segun is ranked as the top Nigerian table tennis player since 1995 and has been amongst the top table tennis players
across Africa. Segun has enjoyed the first position from 1998 to 2008 before Eli Saleh Ahmed of Egypt took the position from him to become the top African player but it was reclaimed by Segun in 2009.
Segun is famous for his untraditional playing style and because of that his opponents are seen uncomfortable while playing against the African Champion. He does not have the best footwork but his secret weapon is the top spin which has helped him conquer
many champions in the sport of table tennis.
Table tennis is a sport that is followed much in Nigeria which is the reason behind Segun’s low key popularity in the region. He is the first Nigerian male athlete to represent their nation at the Olympics events five times. His biggest accomplishment at
the Olympics so far was in 2008 as he reached the final of the Men’s singles ahead of David Zhuang and Jean-Michel Saive.
His match with Omar Assar was extended to a full seven sets as both players fought for a place in the semi-finals. Omar won the first set at 11-8 and Toriola fought back in the second set winning it by 12-14 as Omar claimed the third game with 11-2 and losing
the fourth game 6-11. Game was equally balanced after four games before the Nigerian star won the fifth set with a big lead of 6-11 and only had to win one game to gain his dominance as Omar Assar secured his place in the semi-finals by winning the next two
sets at 11-9 and 11-9.
The 20-year-old Egyptian player managed to secure a win over the top Nigerian player at a young age as Toriola was of the same age when he won his first professional title. Segun will be turning 37 this Sunday which will also be the concluding day of the
All African Games 2011.
Defeat at the All African Games quarter-final 2011 was clearly a disappointment for Segun but he still has the chance to secure his position at the 2012 London Olympics. Six players from Africa will be included at the Olympics next year including the four
semi-finalists at the current All Africa games. The quarter-finalists who lost during their matches will fight for the remaining two places which means Toriola will be fighting for the place in 2012 Olympics.
The player’s achievements till date cannot be summarised but some of the highlights of his career includes the winning of the African Table Tennis Championships four times in 1998, 2002, 2004 and 2006 which also includes double championships in 1994 and
1992. In 2002 he has also secured a Commonwealth Singles Championships held in Manchester, United Kingdom followed by the Commonwealth Double Championships and singles bronze medal in 2006, Australia. The Nigerian has also bagged four single and double gold
medals at the All African Games in 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007. He teamed up with Bose Kaffo to win a gold medal in 1999 and silver in 2003.
It will be interesting to see if Segun qualifies for the London Olympics as this will be his sixth appearance at the event and all eyes will be on him to represent not only Nigeria but the whole of Africa. Players from all across the world will participate
at the London Olympics with the likes of Germany’s Timo Boll, Chinese Wang Hao, Zhang Jike and Belarus champion Vladimir Samsonov.
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