A female para-table tennis player from Ogun State, Mariam Popoola, has expressed a very high level of happiness at her ability to win gold and silver medals for Nigeria at the 1st West African Para-Games in Abeokuta.
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Popoola told Sports247 after her achievement in The Rock City that she faced many challenges ahead of the competition, but stressed that all the hard work she put into the assignment helped her overcome them all.
She noted that passion, focus and determination made it possible for her to play well in both the singles round robin and combined team categories.
She pointed out, “I played well, and I love my performance. I placed first in the round robin category and second in the 9-10 class. That was why they gave me a gold medal and also one silver.
“I am happy that I got these medals, because I trained a lot for the competition. I am happy that my efforts helped me achieve what I got here. I know that I really tried hard because I faced many challenges before coming here.”
Though she admitted facing some difficulties during her preparations for the competition in the Ogun State capital, the assertive player refused to mention them, choosing instead to state that the Nigerian officials took good care of all the players.
“The challenges were too many to mention. Let me just say thank you to our officials who tried their best to help us with funds and facilities.
“That’s another reason why I was able to win two medals. In fact, I love this tournament and the opportunity it gave me to meet players from other African countries,” Popoola submitted.
