Basking in the euphoria of his feat as the first African and Nigerian ever to play at the quarter-finals of international badminton classics, Anuoluwapo Opeyori has set his eyes on becoming a legend of the game.
Currently the highest ranked player in Africa, Opeyori in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos, disclosed that he wants to win as many medals as possible.
NAN reports that Opeyori at the just-concluded 6th Lagos International Badminton Classics, powered his way to the quater-finals of the Men’s Single category.
Opeyori was sent out of the competition by the category’s eventual winner, 22-year-old Brazilian Jonathan Matias.
The 26-year-old Opeyori, a three-time gold medalist at the National Sports Festival (NSF), 2018, 2020 and 2022, told NAN that he is proud of his achievements so far, and willing to step up his game.
“I feel elated with this feat and I am proud of myself being the first Nigerian in the quater-finals of the Lagos International Classics, it is a good one for me.
“At first, I was pessimistic about my form to go through the knockout stage; but because I need the results, it took me a bit of a fight to get through the first round.
“Also playing in front of the home fans is another thing for me.
“However, after the first match and round of qualifications, I got another level of confidence and able to get to the next stage.
“The future is there for me; it’s just for me to continue to play more competitive matches to get cumulative points required; maybe up to 12,” he said.
On the next challenge of qualifying for the Olympics, Opeyori, also a three-time African Champions, 2019, 2022 and 2023, said playing at the Paris 2024 would be a dream come true.
“The qualifiers for the Olympics started in May, and we are still acquiring more points till next year when the qualifications will end.
“For me, I will continue to play at my best and doing it right and getting the right results that will be a high point for me, and a dream to play at the Olympics.
“I want to keep dominating till I become a legend eventually. There is nothing wrong in having multiple titles; we have people like me achieving such, so it’s not out of place.
“I want winning matches to be a norm for me, whenever I am playing I should play at my best,” he said.
Opeyori added: “I would have loved to play at the next classics in Guatemala, but it won’t happen because of issues with transit visa.
“There are lots of problems with transit visa to that country because it’s not a direct flight and it’s difficult to get visa.
“As a green passport holder, it is sometimes difficult to get visas.
“However, I am looking forward to the next classics also in this September in Vietnam; that is if I am able to get their visa,” he said.
Source: News Agency of Nigeria