The Maldives table tennis team has secured gold in the table tennis mixed doubles event at the 11th edition of the Indian Ocean Island Games (IOIG), ongoing in Madagascar.
The island nation’s women’s TT team only lost in the mixed doubles event during the last IOIG held back in Mauritius in 2019. However, the players have redeemed themselves by winning gold and bronze this time round.
Gold was won by Aishath Rafa Nazim and Moosa Munsif, while Fathimath Dheema Ali and Mohamed Shaffan Ismail secured bronze medals.
Two pairs from the Maldives team had to compete in the semifinal. If the players hadn’t made it to the semi, they would have higher chances at both gold and silver. Rafa and Munsif’s pair secured a spot in the finals with a 3 – 2 score. The pair ended the first set 12 – 10, with Dheema and Shaffan’s pair winning the two sets that followed with a 12 – 10 score and 11 – 4 score respectively.
Rafa and Munsif won the last two sets 11 – 6 and 11 – 1.
The pair competed against a pair from Madagascar in the final. The latter won the first set 11 – 9. Although Maldives lost the first set, the pair upped their game and emerged victorious in the three sets that followed to secure gold. They secured the sets 11 – 8, 11 – 7 and 11 – 5.
Dheema and Shaffan also went up against a pair from Madagascar to compete for bronze. They won the sets 11 – 5, 11 – 8 and 11 – 7.
The national TT team has shown exemplary performance so far in the multi-sport international event. As such, the women’s team had defended its gold medal with the men’s team having secured silver for the first time. Table tennis is also the first game of this year’s IOIG that Maldives bagged gold in.
At the 10th IOIG, President Solih travelled to Mauritius to support the Maldives when it won gold.
At the 10th edition of the IOIG the women’s table tennis team made history after winning Maldives’ first gold medal in a team event at a multi-sport international event.
Teams from Reunion, Seychelles, Comoros, Mauritius, Madagascar and Mayotte are competing alongside Maldives in this year’s games.
The 11th edition of IOIG will run until September 3.
