ONE of the longest-serving Olympians in the history of the Games, Funke Oshonaike , has announced that she will not be returning in three years’ time.
The Nigerian table tennis legend, 45, lost her first round women’s singles match 4-1 to United States of America’s Juan Liu on Saturday
Oshonaike lost the first three games of the best-of-seven clash 11-7,11-3, 11-4 but won the fourth game 13-11.
Liu however sealed victory with an 11-4 win in the fifth game to end Oshonaike’s journey.
Oshonaike, who is attending a record seventh Olympics since her first outing at Atlanta 1996, said after the defeat that she was done with the Games for good.
“I never gave up, I’m here today and I’m so happy that I could play because I was not expecting it,” the first African to attend seven Olympics told the Tokyo 2020 official channel, emphasising that she has no regrets about her remarkable journey.
“I just lost, I’m supposed to be kind of sad, but I’m happy that we can be here at the Olympics. This is the spirit of the Games, you lose or win but we are all Olympians.”
She then declared unequivocally that she would not be at the Games in three years’ time for her eighth Olympics as a competitor.
“Paris 2024? I’m going to be there, but as a spectator,” she said.
Also on Saturday, Team Nigeria rower Esther Toko failed to reach the quarterfinals of the women’s singles sculls event.
She finished fourth in heat 2 of the Repechage in a time of 9:07.54, which was not good enough to take her through to the last eight in her first Olympics.
