By Onochie Anibeze

Quadri Aruna brought back joy to Team Nigeria yesterday when he beat Spanish former World Champion Machado to move ahead in the Table Tennis event of the London 2012 Olympics.

Aruna whipped the Spanish guy adding pain upon pain with ferocious strokes that saw the packed hall respond with sporadic applauses. Testing the waters in the first set, the Nigerian lost 6-11 but bounced back to reckoning to claim the second set 11-6.

The  third set also went to Machado before Aruna brought out the killer instinct in his game. Cheered on by Funke Oshonaike, Segun Toriola,  Tennis Federation President Abdulwahab Omotoshe, Aruna  became the fans’ favourite with his measured ground strokes and his back-hand chops that caught Machado napping.

Tennis Scribe, Segun Oguntade roared from the stands shouting, ‘’Farabale”, ‘Ma fun laiye” telling him in native language to either take it easy and not to give him any chance as he went on the rampage.

He took the remaining sets 11-8 and 11-6 to set the hall on a cheering spree. He hugged his coach and waved the crowd for yet another applause. Aruna  remains the only true light in the midst of Chinese stars who are playing for virtually all the countries.