Onaolapo Ojo Emerges Table Tennis League Champion in Italy

A Nigerian, Onaolapo Ojo, has emerged champion of the Italian Table Tennis League.

Ojo defeated Bisi Paolo, 3-2 on Sunday to emerge the national league champion.

He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) from Italy in a telephone interview on Monday that his opponent gave him tough time in the final match of the championship.

Ojo said that he was leading 2-0, but that his opponent caught up with him and leveled the game, 2-2, before he eventually won, 3-2.

”I had assumed that no doubt I was going to win only for me to see him wining the next two matches.

”I was determined to win the next match and that paved way for me to emerge the winner.”

He said that all top table tennis players in Italy took part in the competition.

”It was a tough competition all players fought hard to win.

“Those in division two struggling to move up to division one, while those in division one want to win the title,’’ Ojo said.

NAN reports that the competition is an annual event to determine Italy’s top three players in both divisions one and two.

The top 16 in division two at the end of competition will move to decision one. Ojo is now ranked number one in division one.

”I wanted more challenge and exposure that’s why I changed my base to Italy.

”I don’t want to keep playing and meeting same sets of people, I want to learn more and get better that informed my decision to come to Italy,” he said.

The Marcozzi table tennis club player said that he was building on the basic rudiments and exposure he got in Italy.

Ojo joined the Italian club on Oct. 5, from Sunshine of Akure.

NAN reports that Ojo was instrumental to Nigeria clinching a bronze medal at the table tennis team event of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.