Shonaike overcame significant hurdles to accomplish everything she has. The Nigerian has won 25 national championships, 11 medals in the African Games, and three titles at the continental level.

Seven-time Olympian, Olufunke Oshonaike has revealed that she can't stop playing table tennis and that she loves the ping pong games.

Pulse Sports reported that Oshonaike was knocked out of the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals in Durban in the first round.

The first woman to play table tennis in seven Olympic Games, Oshonaike suffered an early setback in Durban as she was knocked out by Charlotte Lutz from the US.

Charlotte Lutz knocked out Oshonaike in the first round, 4-0 (11-9, 11-9, 11-9, 11-9).

I cant stop playing Table Tennis - Oshonaike
Former African champions revealed that she can't stop playing table tennis and that she can't bow to people calling her to quit.

She added that she is still fit to play but wants young African players to step up.

She said, "My first love is table tennis. I know Funke is 49, but we have a 58-year-old woman from Luxembourg, and I kept looking at her the way she is playing, and every time people asked me,

"Funke, when are you going to stop playing? But if I look at her, I will be like, Why will I stop playing because of people?

"I am still playing very well, but sometimes inside will tell me that I am tired, but I love table tennis. I am going to leave it for African players so that the younger ones can come up."

Oshonaike overcame significant hurdles to accomplish everything she has. The Nigerian has won 25 national championships, 11 medals in the African Games, and three titles at the continental level.

Over more than three decades, the Lagos paddler has been at the top of her game. The table tennis legend has played in seven Olympics, making her the only woman to do so in Africa and as a table tennis player.

She joined fellow Nigerian Segun Toriola, Jean-Michael Saive of Belgium, Zoran Primorac of Croatia, and Jörgen Persson of Sweden as the only table tennis players to have ever participated in seven Games.

Source: Pulse Sports

https://www.pulsesports.ng/table-tennis/story/i-love-table-tennis-i-cant-stop-playing-seven-time-olympian-olufunke-oshonaike-2023052221160824323