Fatimo Bello shot herself to the international limelight in 2022 when she defied all odds to reach the final of the African Cup, where she eventually lost to Egypt’s Hana Goda.
This performance contributed immensely to her world ranking fortunes; she became the third best player in Africa and the highest-ranked Nigerian female player in the world.
But after the 2022 feat, Bello moved to Italy to continue her professional career, while her inability to repeat her 2022 feat in 2023 affected her ranking, and she dropped down the pecking order in Africa.
However, she has been listed as one of Nigeria’s flagbearers at the African Olympic Qualification
Tournament in Kigali, Rwanda, and the Lagos State-born athlete believes this is her time to join the league of elite players heading to Paris in July.
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“It has not been easy since 2022, but I am still a work in progress with the hope that I will get back to my form. My African Games experience was not impressive at all, and I have that behind me with the hope that I can re-enact my form in Kigali,” she said.
The three-time Nigerian national champion, however, admitted that she expects tough challenges from other players but that she is poised to fight for one of the three tickets at stake. “It is not going to be an easy ride in Kigali because everybody is targeting a place at the Olympic Games, and I will be glad to become one of the new generation of players to compete at the Olympic Games,” she added.
Bello will be joined by Offiong Edem in the women’s category of the Olympic Qualifiers on May 16 to 18, while Quadri Aruna and Olajide Omotayo will compete in the men’s category, as the three top players will secure automatic tickets to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in France.