OMOTAYO Olajide

Grip
Shakehand (tabletennis.guide, 01 Feb 2020)

Style of play
Attack (tabletennis.guide, 01 Feb 2020; gewo-tt.com, 01 Mar 2018)

General
ALMOST QUITTING
He suffered from depression and almost quit table tennis in 2015, after failing to make the Nigeria team for that year's African Games in Brazzaville, Congo. "I didn't qualify to be in the team because of a match that I was leading 2-0 in and was the favourite for. I don't know what happened. Sometimes sport turns upside down. I couldn't go back to Europe because my club in Italy couldn't secure sponsorship. It was like life was trying to pull me down. I allowed this to get into my head." He moved to the United States of America, and was inspired to keep playing after watching his compatriot Quadri Aruna become the first African to reach an Olympic table tennis quarterfinal at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. "I watched the match that qualified him, and it was so good. I was so happy. It was like I was the one who got to the quarterfinal. I was like, 'If Aruna can do it, I can also do it if I put in the work'." (olympicchannel.com, 04 May 2020; ittf.com, 28 Aug 2020)

BACKHAND FLICK
He credits his backhand flick to Italian coach Luciano Esposito, who first spotted him in a video on Facebook. "We chatted sometimes but never met until a few years later when he came to Nigeria and saw me play. I was about 15 at the time and he would constantly come to Nigeria for the next few years and practice with me or watch me play matches. Once I was 18 he then helped me move to Italy. He has played a big role in my life, almost like a father. Many players in Africa can't play the backhand flick. And when I play very well, they are shocked and don't know how to return it. Like against [Quadri] Aruna on that lucky day [the 2019 African Games final], I was able to play so many good backhand flicks." (thenationonlineng.net, 05 May 2019; olympicchannel.com, 04 May 2020)

MENTOR
He is close friends with his teammate Quadri Aruna, who he looks to for guidance and advice. "Everybody keeps saying, 'You are now the prince of table tennis in Nigeria', but the king is Aruna. This makes me happy, because Aruna has nurtured me and here we are together at the top level. But he is the big, big boss. Aruna has changed the sport [in Africa]. I have Aruna and Segun [Toriola] as my teammates. If you have a top player, a role model as a good friend, you have everything already. If I have any issues, I have any problems with my technique or whenever I lose, I talk to Aruna. He is better than me in every aspect. I have had him in my corner every time telling me, 'You have to attend tournaments, even if you lose 100 times don't worry. One match can change your life. One breakthrough can change your life'." (olympics.com, 04 May 2020)

TOUGH UPBRINGING
One of six siblings, he said he had a tough upbringing in the Somolu neighbourhood of Lagos, Nigeria. "I was not born with a silver spoon. I had humble beginnings. I was born and brought up in downtown. So many things happened around me - riots, living around criminals. So when I got the opportunity that could shape my life, I used it well." (olympicchannel.com, 04 May 2020; LinkedIn profile, 29 Mar 2021)