Tunisian duo of Ammous Omar and Garci Fadwa are upbeat that Nigeria and Egypt will not dominate them in the overall medal table in the forthcoming ITTF African Junior Championship.
The France-based Ammous Omar, who put Tunisia on the world map last year after winning the 2016 Algeria ITTF Junior Open, believes they are fully ready for the two African powerhouses.
“Nigeria and Egypt are strong teams and they have quality players who are very talented but I think Tunisia can compete very well against these African heavyweights in the junior boys’ category. I believe we have a huge chance to fight for the title against these top teams,” Ammous Omar said.
The 17-year-old admitted that the home crowd would spur them on against the big teams and players.
He said: “Honestly I don’t know what will happen in the competition because in such African championship every country will try hard to win more titles for their country. So we should expect anything to happen in the championship. Also it’s an advantage for all Tunisian players to play in front of the home fans and this can give us an edge over most of our adversaries. I don’t have personal target in the competition but I will do my best to win the titles for my country.”
Like her compatriot, Garci Fadwa is in positive mood for the championship, which serves off on April 9.
She said: “We are preparing for this major competition very seriously, and I am sure we will be fully ready for the D-Day. I think that we have the best young generation in Africa for boys and girls. We just have to work very hard to compete very well with the likes of Nigeria, Egypt and Algeria.”
Having made the podium in the cadet division of the ITTF Junior Circuit in 2015 and 2016 in Tunisia and Algeria, Garci Fadwa is hoping that she can make the podium in Tunis this year.
“Of course last year, we almost won the title in cadet girls’ team after beating Egypt in the group matches and I hope that this year, the African title will not elude us. I hope that we will win lots of African titles at home this year.”
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