When Segun Toriola made his debut at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games in Spain, he just wanted to fulfil his childhood dream of competing at the biggest sporting event in the world.
But when the Rio 2016 Olympic Games kick off on August 5, Toriola will etch his name in the annals of Olympic history as the first African to compete at seven Olympic Games.
“I feel very great about my seventh Olympic Games because it is a record for me, Nigeria and for the continent of Africa.
“At the beginning of my career, I didn’t know that I’m going to play in seven Olympics but here I am heading to Rio and I am super excited for this feat,” he said.
He is focusing on doing well in Rio and is very optimistic of a good outing despite the lack of preparation,
“The team is trying a lot to prepare for the Games because it is very important that we put up a good performance and make the country proud at the Olympics.
“We are preparing ourselves very well and hopefully we will have something to celebrate in Rio.”
On Aruna Quadri, he said: “Aruna Quadri is an experienced player considering what he has achieved as a player.
“I don’t think that he will be under unnecessary pressure because he is not going to be thinking about the pressure because it is only when athlete thinks based on his status that the pressure will affect his performance.”