Maldives women’s table tennis team wins historic gold at IOIG
It was first gold medal for the country in a team event.
22 Jul 2019, 9:00 AM
The Maldives women’s table tennis team on Sunday beat host nation Mauritius to win the team event at the 2019 Indian Ocean Island Games.
It was the first gold medal won by the country in a team event at a multi-sport international tournament. In the previous nine editions of IOIG, the Maldives only brought home one gold medal, which was won in 2015 by Hassan Saaid in the men’s 100-meter sprint, an individual event.
The young female athletes who made history included 11-year-old Fathmath Dheema Ali and 15-year-old Aishath Rafa Nazim along with the more experienced players Mueena Mohamed and Fathmath Jumana Nimal.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and First Lady Fazna Ahmed were among the Maldives contingent who rushed to celebrate with the winners upon Rafa’s victory in the final match. Videos of the jubilant group hug have been widely shared on social media amid sentiments of national pride and congratulations to the girls.
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