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Omotayo was eliminated in the first round of the World table tennis championship in Durban.
Olajide Omotayo has vowed to atone for being eliminated early from the recently finished Durban 2023 World Table Tennis Championships (WTTC) by putting on a strong showing at the next WTT Contender Lagos.
Omotayo was eliminated in the first round of the men's singles by England's Paul Drinkhall, and the player, who now calls France home, thinks he just had bad luck against the Englishman.
He added that he is looking forward to making up for the poor outing at the WTT Contender Lagos.
“I am happy and at the same time I am not happy in the sense that I had a very good draw, and the match was right in my palm. At some point I lost concentration and that is what I guess contributed to my loss. And those are the things we come across as athletes. And I am looking forward to making up for the poor outing at the WTT Contender Lagos,” he said.
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Omotayo attributed his lack of sponsorship, which he claimed he aims to address in the upcoming season, to his inability to compete on a worldwide scale.
“I have not been competing globally, because I don’t have a sponsor and it’s not that easy to go to tournaments and pay for yourself because now it’s more expensive. Now the WTT says that players have to pay a lot of money.
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Table Tennis: European clubs fight for Taiwo Mati's signature
Mati is Nigeria’s best player at the Championships in Durban after reaching the third round.
“And for the past year, I have been trying to improve my standard and my level. Like if I have to pay for myself, I want to change to a certain level and another year I am going to attend tournaments and I hope to be back, which I have been doing for the past one year. And now I think I have the level and hopefully I will have a good season and play tournaments.
“I am on the qualifying list; I am just going there to do my best and I have played a lot of matches this season, so I think I am ready for it fully. And hopefully this time around I want to break barriers and make my family, and my country proud,” he told the Nation.
The Molade Okoya Thomas Indoor Sports Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium will host the WTT Contender which is slated for June 12-18.
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