Nigerian youngster and the last standing man at the 2026 World Table Tennis Lagos Contender, Sultan Agunbiade, exhibited the stuff he was made of in the Junior Category against his counterpart from India, Manush Shah, in the round of 16 with his head high.
Although Manush pulled the first string beating Agunbiade (12-10), in the first match, but with the spirit of never say die in Agunbiade, quickly recovered from the defeat with (11-8), in the second match, to make it 1-1. The quick recovery reawakened Nigerians fans who stood up for him at every point in time, chanting in support of the last Nigerian standing man.
Meanwhile, the chanting was not enough to save Sultan from defeat as Manush punished Nigerian man with 11-6 in the last match to claim the victory in that category, throwing Sultan Agunbiade out of the tournament.
Speaking to Somolu Newspaper, the Nigerian contender, Agunbiade, said he was excited to have gotten to that stage, being his first time contesting against one of the best and a well-established player in that category, stressing that he would have to work hard to achieve his aim of reaching the podium next year.
He continued, “It was a great experience for me because I never thought I would be in the round of 16 and playing with an experienced player like Manush Shah from India is another milestone participating in an international tournament of this magnitude”.
“I tried my best, but that wasn’t just enough to sail me to victory. I need to work on my flaws and come back better next year. I believe there’s always another time for me to improve my game and make it to the podium”. He posited.
Similarly, the President of Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), Dr. Adesoji Tayo in his submission poured encomium on Agunbiade for proofing his mettle not only playing at the national level but at the world championship even though he was just a junior player, noting that the idea was to catch them young, nurture them, expose them and from there, they can join the elites and that’s just what we’re doing here.
He continued, “Sultan, out of all the Nigerian players presented for the tournament in the male category, he’s ‘the last standing man’, and we’re so proud of him playing against a well-established player like Manush Shah of India, and we pray that we have more players like him”. He concluded.