Nigeria Table Tennis player, Quadri Aruna, has reclaimed his to position in Africa, climbing to 17th in the Week 22, 2024 International Table Tennis Federation Ranking.
This was announced on Tuesday in the ITTF rankings.
This occurred less than two months after losing the top spot in the continental rankings.
Meanwhile, Egypt’s Omar Assar has dropped to 22nd in the world rankings after holding the top spot in Africa for the past two months, thanks to his victory at the last African Games in Ghana.
Aruna’s recent success in reclaiming the ITTF Africa Cup in Rwanda in May has propelled him up two spots in the rankings, making him the highest-rated African player globally.
Assar’s fall in the rankings is due to the expiration of the quarterfinal points he earned at the Durban 2023 World Championships in South Africa. This loss of points has resulted in his drop in the rankings.
While some players are slipping, Aruna’s points have remained stable, and the decline of others has boosted his rise in the world rankings.
Among Africa’s significant movers in May, Mohamed El-Beiali, who became the continent’s third-best player after finishing as runner-up to Aruna at the 2024 ITTF Africa Cup in Kigali, has dropped to 49th in the world rankings.
Despite a slight drop, Egypt’s Dina Meshref retains her status as Africa’s top female player, ranked 24th globally.
Meshref’s compatriot, Hana Goda, remains the highest-rated African female player, holding steady at 31st in the world rankings.
With all continental quotas for the Olympic Games concluded, players are now focused on securing their tickets to Paris through the world rankings, which will be finalized on June 11 when the ITTF completes the list of participants for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
