Nigerian table tennis player Olajide Omotayo is confident of making his mark at the 2024 Olympic Games, which will be held from July 26 to August 11 in Paris, France, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The 29-year-old is set to make his second appearance at the quadrennial sports fiesta.

Omotayo secured a ticket to the Olympics at the ITTF Africa qualifiers in Kigali, Rwanda, in May after beating Congo Brazzaville’s Saheed Idowu in four straight sets.

After being edged out in the first round during his debut at Tokyo 2020, when he lost 4-0 to Portugal’s Tiago Apolonia in the first round of the men’s singles event, Omotayo says he is determined to prove that he’s more than just a participant this time around.

“The last time, I was a contender even for the fact that I was having tears of joy while I was playing,” Omotayo told ATTF Media.

“This time around, it is time for business.”

Omotayo reflected on his journey to this year’s global showpiece as a breakthrough after hitting a low in the rankings before the qualifiers.

“My second appearance at the Olympics means a lot to me,” he said.

“It is not easy to qualify from Africa. We have so many good players in Africa now, and I was able to qualify. Looking at the ranking system, it affected me about a year ago. My ranking dropped significantly, and I wasn’t sure if I would be part of the second pick for Team Nigeria. But thankfully, I reclaimed my spot and qualified for the Rwanda qualifications. This opportunity means a lot to me.”

Omotayo was ranked 104th in the world in the week 28 rankings of the International Table Tennis Federation and surely will begin his 2024 Olympics journey from the round of 64 when the draws are made.

“We cannot compare the Olympics to any other games. It was made to unite nations, and every athlete’s dream is to be at the Olympics and win a medal. The Olympics are one of a kind.”