Segun Toriola
Encyclopedia
Segun Moses Toriola, born 18 September 1974 in Ilorin
, Kwara, Nigeria
is a Nigerian professional table tennis
player.
He is the youngest of nine brothers.
Since 1995 he has been ranked as the best Nigerian player. He has been amongst the top table tennis players in Africa since the mid 1990s. Ranked number 1 in Africa from 1998 to June 2008, when Egypt
ian Eli Saleh Ahmed became the leading African table tennis player. However, since 2009, Toriola has again been the number 1 in Africa. Renowned for his unusual style of forehand play, which makes him an awkward opponent for many. Despite lacking good footwork has an excellent topspin, which has allowed him to pull off many upsets with top world players.
During his career he has won multiple medals in international singles tournaments. Some of his important achievements are:
He represented Nigeria at five Summer Olympics debuting at Barcelona
. His biggest achievement at the Olympics has been reaching the Men's Singles 1/8 final at the 2008 Summer Olympics
in Beijing
, beating amongst others former world number 1 Jean-Michel Saive
as well as David Zhuang
. His 1/16 match-up with Jean-Michel Saive
was seen by many as one of the highlights of the Men's Singles Tournament. He narrowly lost 4-3 to favoured Oh Sang-Eun in the 1/8 final.
His fifth Olympic appearance in 2008 made him the first Nigerian man to appear at five Olympics. This feat was achieved four years earlier by sprinter Mary Onyali and also in 2008 by fellow table tennis player Bose Kaffo
. By the end of the 2008 Summer Olympics, only thirteen table tennis players worldwide had appeared at least five Olympics.
Ilorin
Ilorin is one of the largest cities in Nigeria and is the capital of Kwara State. As of 2007 it had a population of 847,582.-History:Ilorin was founded by the Yoruba, one of the three largest ethnic groups in Nigeria, in 1450...
, Kwara, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
is a Nigerian professional table tennis
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
player.
He is the youngest of nine brothers.
Since 1995 he has been ranked as the best Nigerian player. He has been amongst the top table tennis players in Africa since the mid 1990s. Ranked number 1 in Africa from 1998 to June 2008, when Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian Eli Saleh Ahmed became the leading African table tennis player. However, since 2009, Toriola has again been the number 1 in Africa. Renowned for his unusual style of forehand play, which makes him an awkward opponent for many. Despite lacking good footwork has an excellent topspin, which has allowed him to pull off many upsets with top world players.
During his career he has won multiple medals in international singles tournaments. Some of his important achievements are:
- 4 African Table Tennis Singles Championships (1998, 2002, 2004, 2006) and 2 Doubles Championships (1994,1992)
- A Commonwealth Singles Championship (2002) in ManchesterManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
(United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) - A Commonwealth Doubles Championship and Singles Bronze Medal (2006) in MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
(AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
) - 4 All-African Games Singles Gold Medals (1995, 1999, 2003, 2007), 4 Doubles Gold Medals (1995, 1999, 2003, 2007), 1 Mixed Doubles Gold Medal (1999, with Bose KaffoBose KaffoBose Kaffo, born 14 December 1972 in Surulere, Lagos State, Nigeria is a Nigerian professional table tennis player who competed at five Olympics from 1992 to 2008....
; they also won silver in 2003) and 3 Team Gold Medals (1995, 1999, 2003).
He represented Nigeria at five Summer Olympics debuting at Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
. His biggest achievement at the Olympics has been reaching the Men's Singles 1/8 final at the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, beating amongst others former world number 1 Jean-Michel Saive
Jean-Michel Saive
Jean-Michel Saive is a Belgian professional table tennis player.Born in Liège in a table tennis playing family, Saive was predestined to become a very good table tennis player and began playing as a small boy...
as well as David Zhuang
David Zhuang
David Zhuang is a Chinese-born American table tennis player.Zhuang began playing table tennis competitively at age 11, and was a professional player at age 12. One of his schoolmates was Jiang Jialiang, the 1985 and 1987 World Table Tennis Champion...
. His 1/16 match-up with Jean-Michel Saive
Jean-Michel Saive
Jean-Michel Saive is a Belgian professional table tennis player.Born in Liège in a table tennis playing family, Saive was predestined to become a very good table tennis player and began playing as a small boy...
was seen by many as one of the highlights of the Men's Singles Tournament. He narrowly lost 4-3 to favoured Oh Sang-Eun in the 1/8 final.
His fifth Olympic appearance in 2008 made him the first Nigerian man to appear at five Olympics. This feat was achieved four years earlier by sprinter Mary Onyali and also in 2008 by fellow table tennis player Bose Kaffo
Bose Kaffo
Bose Kaffo, born 14 December 1972 in Surulere, Lagos State, Nigeria is a Nigerian professional table tennis player who competed at five Olympics from 1992 to 2008....
. By the end of the 2008 Summer Olympics, only thirteen table tennis players worldwide had appeared at least five Olympics.