Taiwo Mati: The rising star of Nigeria table tennis
Nigerian youngster Taiwo Mati has been one of the revelations at the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals 2023 in Durban, South Africa where he reached the round of 32.
Table Tennis
Reaching the last-32 stage on Wednesday (24 May) at ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals 2023, Nigeria’s Taiwo Mati gave a glimpse of the future of the sport in Africa.
The rising star carried the hopes of his nation after Quadri Aruna, the mainstay of Nigerian table tennis was knocked out in the second round.
The 18-year-old Mati’s fighting spirit was on full display as he salvaged the victory after trailing 2-3 to upset Lam Siu Hang from Hong Kong, China in their round-of-64 clash.
“Honestly, I do not know what to say, I am just speechless. It is my first time playing in the world championships and it is like a dream come true for me to qualify for the round of 32,” Mati said.
“This win is even sweeter for me because it is held in Africa. Throughout the game, I kept telling myself not to give up. Even when I was trailing 2-3, I told myself that I must play better and gain momentum to win. This win means a lot to me. It is definitely the highlight of my career so far, qualifying for the round of 32 in front of so many supporters and fans.”
Taiwo Mati: Fighting for every point
Mati had already exceeded his own expectations before his impressive run came to an end at the hands of the Republic of Korea’s Jang Woojin following a 4-0 (11-3, 11-7, 11-7, 11-5) defeat.
Walking into the arena, Mati told himself to ‘fight for every point’ and allow the chips to fall where they may. Mati said he was content with his overall performance at his maiden senior world championships where he got to rub shoulders with some of the best players in the game.
“I have learned a lot from these championships watching all the top players, the Chinese, Japanese, and the Germans and I am privileged to be among them. It is a big experience for me, and I will put it to good use,” he told Olympics.com.
“I just need to go back home and keep on practising and hope to come back stronger. I am quite surprised making it this far in the competition. It is my first world championship. I lost in the third round which is a big achievement for me, and I am proud of myself.”
Mati, the bronze medallist at the 2021 ITTF World Youth Championships, is among a new young crop of African players making their mark on the sport. Among these is the 15-year-old Hana Goda, who won her opening match of the championships before exiting in the second round.
Taiwo Mati: Eyeing Paris 2024
Mati said he hoped to inspire the next generation of players from Africa the same way Aruna has done as the continent’s biggest star. Aruna has been an inspirational figure at home in Nigeria and across Africa after reaching the singles quarterfinals at Rio 2016.
“The sport is getting more popular in Nigeria. With Aruna reaching the quarterfinal everybody was talking about it, the press, bloggers and social media. It helps table tennis grow. Aruna is promoting the sport,” said Mati.
Becoming a household name in Nigeria in a sport that is not football, is no easy feat. It is the type of achievement that inspires talents like Mati to greater heights.
“I’ve learned a lot from him (Aruna), I’ve been talking to him for the past few years, and he’s been telling me a lot about international tournaments,” Mati said.
“I chose table tennis because I fell in love with it. I think it was the right choice for me because there are a lot of youths in Nigeria that may focus on football. For me, table tennis is my passion, it is what I love doing and I enjoy doing it.”
Mati hopes the passion would ultimately lead him to Paris 2024 where he hopes to challenge the dominance of table tennis powerhouses like the People’s Republic of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea.
“My dream is to go to Paris 2024, it is every player’s dream to participate in the Olympics. I hope that will get there,” he said.
“I don’t have to beat him (Aruna) to get where he is. He is more like a mentor, someone I look towards, I look up to him.”