Quadri Aruna

Career

Quadri Aruna became interested in playing as a professional after a man from a table tennis hall that was 100m away from Quadri’s house in southwestern Nigeria spotted him at the hall where he had accompanied his older brother. Abolarin Oluwole, the player-turned-coach who discovered Quadri, noticed his interest in table tennis since he regularly watched the competitions in the hall. He finally invited him to play and started training him with the approval of Quadri’s mother, who insisted that Oluwole should also ensure that Quadri kept up with his studies.

Before meeting Oluwole, Quadri and his friends played on the streets; they painted white table tennis lines on the floor. Quadri Aruna equipment during this period was rackets made from asbestos roofing. We have compiled a list of the best table tennis blades according to user reviews, including the top table tennis players.

Quadri has not forgotten his humble beginnings. He has become an ambassador of table tennis to discover, inspire and nurture younger players by providing them with equipment and training camps so they do not have to struggle like he did at the beginning of his career. In 2021, Eko Club and his Aruna Sports Club and Academy hosted a one-day under-15 tournament in Lagos. The competing teams comprised 32 players, including four Oyo State-based players he sponsored for the tournament.

Speaking to The Eagle Online, Quadri once said that helping young players would help the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation discover young talents and raise the sport's profile.

First Competitions

Aruna represented Oyo East Local Government Area, Oba Adeyemi High School, and his home State at various competitions. He became the national cadet champion in 2000 when he competed in his first national competition. While playing for the Oyo State team, he won a bronze medal in the Men’s Singles at the 2004 National Sports Festival.

Aruna Quadri reached the final at the 2006 National Sports Festival in Ogun but lost to Segun Toriola, who also favors the forehand playing style, has an excellent spin, and was the leading African table tennis player from 1998 to June 2008.

After his performance in Ogun, Wahid Enitan Oshodi, the then Chairman of the Lagos State Table Association (LSSA), invited Aruna to competitions in Lagos, and he signed a contract with Union Bank Table Tennis Club.

In 2007, Quadri Aruna won a bronze medal in the Mixed Doubles and a silver medal with the Nigerian national team at the African Senior Championships. In 2008, he won a bronze medal in Men’s Doubles and a silver medal in Mixed Doubles at the African Senior Championships. Also, he became the African champion with his national team.

Quadri played for the BIPC Table Tennis Club in the Iranian Elite League for four months before moving to Portugal and joining the Associacao Recreativa Novelense (ARN).

He helped the club to climb to the second position in Portugal’s elite table tennis league. Quadri transferred to Grupo Desportivo Toledos, where he played for the club for two seasons and led them to their first league title.

Aruna Quadri then joined GD Toledos, and during this time, he also signed with Jura Morez Tennis de Table club and played for one season in the French league.

In 2015, Quadri signed with Sporting Lissabon, the leading Portuguese team, and won the team the league titles. He has not lost in the Portuguese league for the past five seasons since he joined Sporting Lissabon.

Aruna Quadri’s Most Important Achievements

Quadri is a three-time medalist at Commonwealth Games. He won bronze with the Nigerian team at the 2014 Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow, Scotland, and a silver medal in the Men’s Singles at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Quadri Aruna lost to Paul Drinkhall in the quarterfinal of the Men’s Singles at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. Paul Drinkhall has won the English Championship six times. He also participated in the Team event with Olajide Omotayo, Bode Abiodun, and Amadi Omeh but lost 3-0 to England, finishing in fourth place. Aruna suffered a slight tweak in his hamstring and opted out of the Mixed Doubles event with his teammate Offiong Edem.

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Olympics

Quadri Aruna represented Nigeria in the Men’s Singles at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He beat Carlos Machado of Spain 4-2 before losing 4-2 to Bora Vang of Turkey in the second round.

Aruna competed in the Men’s Singles at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, defeating Chuang Chih-yuan 4-0 and Timo Boll 4-2 to become the first player to reach the Quarter Finals. He lost 0-4 to Ma Long, the number one seed who eventually won gold. Aruna also competed alongside Bode Abiodun and Segun Toriola and was defeated by China.

Quadri Aruna's table tennis participation in the Olympics continued at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and he was a flag bearer during the Opening Ceremony. He lost 4-2 to Gustavo Tsuboi of Brazil in the third round of the Men’s Singles.

World Cup

Aruna Quadri reached the quarter-finals at the World Cup 2014 in the Men’s Singles competition.

World Championships

Quadri Aruna first competed at the World Championships in 2007, participating in the Singles and Doubles events. He has since played in 12 World Championships, including the 2017 World Table Tennis Championships and the 2021 World Table Tennis Championships in Houston. His impressive performance in the latter saw him reaching the quarter-finals, but he lost 2-4 to Truls Möregårdh of Sweden.

ITTF World Tour

In 2009, Quadri debuted in the ITTF World Tour as he prepared for the 2010 World Cup in Russia. Quadri Aruna's green rubber on the backhand is a regular part of his aesthetic. After his performance in Russia, Joola signed the top-billed player to support equipment such as the JOOLA Rhyzer 48 forehand and backhand rubbers.

In 2014, Aruna Quadri became the first African player to win the prestigious ITTF world table tennis player of the Year award.

Dimitrij Ovtcharov defeated Aruna in the semifinals of the 2017 ITTF World Challenge Bulgaria Open. He qualified for the 2017 ITTF African Cup final and won after defeating his rival, Omar Assar of Egypt. He also reached the finals and claimed second place at the 2018 ITTF African Cup after losing to Omar Assar.