Nigeria successfully earned two Silver medals Monday at the ongoing Commonwealth Games with a Silver coming from the Table tennis and the second from Shortput, even as the Nation remains hopeful of further laurels.
The men’s table tennis team lost 3-0 to India to claim Silver.Sharath Achanta beat Bode Abiodun 3-1 in the first game despite Abiodun winning the first set 11-4.
Segun Toriola was the next up for the Nigerian team but after taking the first set 12-10, the most experienced campaigner in the team lost his way losing the next three, 11-3, 11-3, and 11-4.
The doubles team of Olajide Omotayo and Abiodun could not stop the onslaught of Harmeet Desai and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, who beat the Nigerian team 11-8, 11-5, and 11-3. India, therefore, took the gold as Nigeria won silver, the first medal to be won by Team Nigeria in Australia.
In the shortput event it was American based Chukwuebuka Enekwechi that fired the Nation to the podium, hitting a personal best of His 21.14m
New Zealand’s Tomas Walsh won gold, setting a new Commonwealth Games record of 21.41m while Tim Nedow of Canada came third with a season best throw of 20.19m. Nigeria’s Eke Kalu, however finished twelfth with a throw of 17.86m.
Meanwhile, Seyi Ogunlewe finished fourth in the men’s 100m final with personal season’s best of 10:19 seconds. His compatriot Enoch Olaoluwa Adegoke finished seventh, running 10:34 seconds.
South Africa’s Akani Simbine won the 100m gold with a time of 10:03 seconds followed closely by countryman Henricho Bruintjies who ran 10:17 seconds. Jamaica’s Yohan Blake edged out Ogunlewe to win the bronze medal.