Atanda Musa
Atanda Musa | |
|---|---|
 Atanda Musa arguably one of the best table tennis players to contest out of Africa. | |
| Born | February 3, 1960 |
Atanda Musa (born 3 February 1960) is a Nigerian table tennis player. He represented Nigeria at two Summer Olympics in 1988 and 1992, taking part in both the singles and doubles events.[1] He was once ranked 20th in the world at his peak.[2]
In 1982, he won the table tennis singles event at the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships (in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia), before partnering with Sunday Eboh to take the doubles gold in the same discipline.
Along with Francis Sule, Atanda, again, won the table tennis doubles gold medal at the 1985 Commonwealth Games.[3] He achieved a clean sweep of gold in each of the singles, men's doubles and mixed doubles events representing Nigeria at the 1987 All-Africa Games and then, in 1991, with Bose Kaffo as partner, he won the Commonwealth Games' Mixed Doubles event for table tennis.
Arguably one of the best table tennis players to contest out of Africa, Musa's backhand play, and the loop associated with it remains his pièce de résistance. He played in various countries and locations and during his best years in Alicante, Spain.
Besides playing, the 10-time African Men's Table Tennis Singles Champion,[4]has always liked coaching. In 1992 he became a full-time coach in Saudi Arabia for three years. In 1995 he was hired to coach in Qatar at the Ali club. In 1997 he returned to Nigeria, where he continued to play and coach before moving permanently to the US. He currently resides in New York City where he coaches in his spare time at SPIN. [5]
References[]
- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Atanda Musa". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20170822222119/usatt.net/magazine/01jan-feb/musa.shtml
- ^ Table Tennis Federation Limited, Commonwealth. "Former Champions". www.comtt.org. The Commonwealth Table Tennis Federation Limited. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
- ^ Musa, Atanda. "Atanda Musa: Player & Coach". www.usatt.net. USA Table Tennis. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
- ^ Hetherington, Matt. "AFRICAN TABLE TENNIS IDOL AIMS TO END DECADE LONG HIATUS WITH GOLD". www.teamusa.org. United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
External links[]
- Atanda Musa at the International Table Tennis Federation
- Atanda Musa at the International Olympic Committee
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- 1960 births
- Living people
- Olympic table tennis players of Nigeria
- Nigerian male table tennis players
- Table tennis players at the 1988 Summer Olympics
- Table tennis players at the 1992 Summer Olympics
- African table tennis biography stubs
- Nigerian sportspeople stubs