Offiong Edem, Nigeria’s Tokyo Olympic-bound Spain-based table tennis player, on Sunday said though she was bound to obey COVID-19 Stay-At-Home order in Madrid, but misses doing what she loved most.
Edem, a three-time Olympian, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on telephone that it was so sad that the Coronavirus pandemic emerged in the Olympic year and peak of preparations for the Games.“The havoc caused by Coronavirus globally is just too much. Here in Spain, we have been on lockdown for the past forty days, not moving around but it’s not anybody’s fault.“I really miss playing my tablet tennis, a thing I love doing most but it’s not anybody’s fault and nobody is to be blamed for this unpleasant development that has turned everything up side down.“However, I know that going by proactive measures being put in place globally, the COVID-19 will come to an end and I will get back to doing what I love most,” she said.The 2018 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) bronze medalist presently playing for Rivas Table Tennis Club, Madrid, said she was only engaged in normal exercises in her station to keep fit.
According to the Cross River-born athlete who has featured in Continental Games, the choice to move from Portugal to Spain was to enable her break even ahead of greater feats.“I am currently in a new terrain, meeting new players in tougher competitions which is helping me to improve on my game, control and playing style for the task ahead,” she added.She said that in spite of the COVID-19 outbreak, 2020 was a good year for her as she was able to hit her target by qualifying for the Tokyo Summer Olympics holding in 2021.Edem, a 2011 All Africa Games gold medalist who will be making her fourth appearance in the Olympic Games, said that she desired to mount the podium at the Games. (NAN)
