Hammamet, Tunisia in an exhilarating showdown at the inaugural AirBadminton Championships, Nigeria emerged victorious as they showcased nerves of steel in a tightly contested Mixed Team Relay final. The high-stakes match unfolded in Tunisia’s Hammamet, captivating fans with its intense battles and dramatic turnarounds.
Making its debut at the Africa Beach Games, the Mixed Team relay consists of five matches namely, One women’s doubles; One men’s doubles; One mixed doubles; One triples consisting of two male players and one female player; and the second triples consisting of two female players and one male player with the team reaching 80 points first winning the tie. The final commenced with a gripping Men’s Doubles match, featuring Nigeria’s dynamic duo, Habeeb Bello and Kayode Oyeniran, against South Africa’s formidable pair, Cameron Coetzer and Miguel Vigario. The Nigerian team narrowly clinched victory, securing a 16-14 win in a closely fought encounter as they headed for the first break.
The next match witnessed Habeeb Bello’s exceptional partnership with Damilola Oyedepo, as they propelled Nigeria to an 8-point lead, resulting in a score of 32-25. However, Caylene Miller and Diane Oliver of South Africa showed tremendous resilience in the Women’s Doubles, mounting a spirited comeback that narrowed the gap to 48-47 in the second break.
With the first triples match ending in a nail-biting 64-63 scoreline, neither team allowed the other to establish a significant lead. The stage was set for a thrilling second triples match. While Cameron Coetzer, Reneshan Naidoo, and Jabu Gininda of South Africa initially took an early lead, the Nigerian trio of Habeeb Bello, Damilola Oyedepo, and Kayode Oyeniran staged a remarkable comeback, with the score standing at 77-78. In an intense battle, the South Africans fought back to level the score at 78-78. However, the determined Nigerians secured the final two points, emerging as the overall winners with an 80-78 victory. The Nigerian players erupted in prayerful celebration; their joy evident when Damilola Oyedepo converted the final point.
Expressing their elation, Damilola stated, “We are happy and we thank God for the win. We prepared by watching previous AirBadminton matches, which were streamed by the BWF, enabling us to devise a game plan.” The Nigerian team had suffered a defeat against South Africa in the group stages, losing 80-71. However, they adjusted their tactics and reorganized the team, which ultimately worked in their favour against the South Africans.
While the South African team may have been disappointed with the outcome, Cameron acknowledged the gallant efforts of his teammates. He said, “It’s not the result we expected, but we thank our supporters and federation for the support they have given us so far. We are going home as silver medallists, which is no mean achievement, and we are proud of ourselves.”
Earlier in the day, Nigeria secured a convincing 80-55 victory over Zambia in the first Mixed Team Relay semi-finals. In the second semi-finals, Algeria put up a valiant fight but proved no match for South Africa, succumbing to a 54-80 defeat.
In the Individual Men’s and Women’s Triples events, which are the only events from this championship to be featured at the upcoming World Beach Games in Bali, Benin’s trio of Oswald Ash Fano Dosh, Carlos Miguel Kpanou, and Preferet Libasse Adomahou made an impressive start against Mauritius’ giants led by the decorated Shaheer Ramrakha, alongside Tameesh Bhoyroo and Vashisht Jagurnath. Benin secured an 11-5 victory in the first game but faltered in the second, allowing the Mauritian team to bounce back and secure an 11-4 win. In the third match, Preferet’s inspirational performance led the Benin team to an 11-3 triumph. However, facing elimination, the Mauritian team mounted a remarkable comeback, winning the remaining matches 11-6 and 11-9, clinching an overall 3-2 victory.
In the Women’s Triples, South Africa’s Jabu, Cayleen, and Diane delivered a dominant display, dispatching the hosts Tunisia with scores of 11-8, 11-9, and 11-0, securing a comprehensive 3-0 win.
For a comprehensive list of the day’s results, please visit the following link: (Link)
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