Ibrahima Diaw was born in France 27 years ago. His mother is from Mali, his father Senegalese. "The first time I touched the table, I was seven," recalls Diaw. "I got addicted with the feeling of playing table tennis. I liked to touch the ball. It was quite exciting when I touched it and hit it well." When Ibrahima was 12, his father passed away. With his mother's support, he focused his attention on table tennis, winning the 2008 European Youth Championship with his French team. Competition for limited spots on the national team was fierce, however, so he went on to find work playing for various leagues around Europe. "I wanted to have an international career, but it was difficult to play for France, especially with the ITTF rule that allows only six players per country to play internationally," said Diaw. Raised by his mother, Diaw wanted to honor her by playing for Mali, Senegal's neighbor to the east. Unfortunately, Mali does not have a national table tennis association. Diaw then set his sights on Senegal. There were, of course, many hoops to jump through before he could fly his father's flag, and he did not expect to get a chance in time for the 2019 World Championships. But then, at nearly the last possible moment, he did. "It was a crazy day," remembers Diaw. "I was playing PlayStation with my friend, and then I just got an email from the ITTF telling me that I was cleared to play for Senegal at the World Championships in two days." Diaw had to run to the airport to get to Budapest. It's a good thing he broke free from the famously addictive spell cast by Fortnite long enough to check his email. Having checked the World Championships off his bucket list, Diaw got to work improving his world ranking. After a slow, steady climb to world #332 in 2017, he had fallen as far as #964 during a period of tournament inactivity in 2018. While he entertained Olympic dreams, he did not think he had a realistic chance to qualify from such a lowly position. In February 2020, Diaw entered the African Olympic Qualification Tournament in Tunisia. Quadri Aruna, Africa's top-ranked player and a quarterfinalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics, was the prohibitive favorite. Unfortunately for Aruna, he was also hobbled by a thigh injury. An unsympathetic Diaw pounced on his opportunity, besting the African champion 4-2 to become Senegal's first qualifier for Tokyo 2020. "When I was leading 3-0, I saw the Olympics. The match was stopped for 10 minutes as he felt some pain on his hamstring," says Diaw of his life-changing moment. "But I put pressure on him and finally I beat the best African player. It was unbelievable!" The Tunisian tournament capped a steady rise in the rankings for Diaw. He is now listed at a personal best 69th in the world, frozen by the ITTF until the COVID-19 suspension is lifted. In the meantime, Diaw is doing his best to prepare for the Olympics, both physically and mentally. "I'm lucky and proud to say I will represent Senegal at the Olympics," he says. "Even more special is that I will be the first Senegalese to qualify for Tokyo Olympics." After spending his lifetime drifting around as a hired gun for European leagues, Ibrahima Diaw has now earned the right to represent his father's homeland on the world's biggest stage.

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