Funke Oshonaike, a seven-time Olympian, and her partner Fatimo Bello have secured a gold medal for Nigeria in the women’s doubles event at the 2023 ITTF Africa Championship.

It marks the first gold medal won by team Nigeria at the ongoing tournament in Tunis.

The ITTF Africa Championship is a qualifying tournament for the 2024 Paris Olympics, but it was the Egyptians who dominated in all the events and secured multiple Olympic spots.

Oshonaike, a legendary figure in African table tennis, came out of retirement to participate in the women’s doubles alongside Bello.

In the final, they faced tough competition from Cameroonian player Sarah Hanffou and her teammate, Egypt’s Marwa Alhodaby.

Although the event did not offer direct Olympic qualification, both teams fought fiercely for the gold medal.

In the semi-finals, Nigeria outplayed the Mauritius duo, Oumehani Hosenally and Nandeshwaree Jalim, with an impressive 3-0 victory (11-6, 11-7, 11-7).