By the time Egypt and Benin walked onto the sand at Aero Beach, there was only one thing left to settle.
After two days of competition, the Team Relay had reached its final, bringing together the two highest-seeded teams in the knockout draw. Egypt had entered the competition as the No. 1 seed, while Benin had been seeded No. 2. Both had made it through the pressure of the knockout stage, and now they were facing each other with the title within reach.
The final began at 15:00 local time, and from the opening men’s doubles, it was clear that neither side was prepared to give anything away.
Egypt’s Ahmed Salah and Ashraf Aly Ashraf took the first match against Benin’s Oswald Ash Fano-Dosh and Carlos Miguel Codjo Kpanou, but the 15–13 score showed just how little separated the two sides.
Benin responded in the women’s doubles, where Anna Gladys Akakpo and Flora Kpogbemabou pushed Egypt’s Reem Hussien and Nada Sherif all the way. Egypt eventually edged the contest 15–14, leaving them only two points ahead as the tie reached 30–24.
The final was beginning to live up to its billing.
There was still plenty of work for both teams to do, and Benin continued to search for a way back into the contest. Egypt, however, managed to protect their advantage in the next stage, with Reem Hussien, Nour Refaat and Nada Sheriftaking the Team 1 stage 15–9 against Anna Gladys Akakpo, Blessing Atchade and Flora Kpogbemabou.
The score stood at 45–40.
Five points separated the finalists.
That meant everything would come down to the final stage.
Benin knew they needed to close the gap. Egypt knew they simply had to hold on.
With the title now resting on the final Team 2, Abdelrahman Magdy Abdelsattar, Ashraf Aly Ashraf and Ahmed Salah stepped onto the court for Egypt, while Benin sent out Oswald Fano-Dosh, Carlos Miguel Codjo Kpanou and Julien Wadoud Totin.
Benin fought for every point and refused to let Egypt pull away.
But Egypt had just enough in reserve.
They closed out the final stage 15–17 to finish the tie 60–57, securing the Team Relay title by just three points.
For Benin, it was a remarkably close finish to a campaign that had taken them all the way to the final. They had challenged Egypt throughout the match and stayed within touching distance right until the last stage.
For Egypt, the narrow victory brought the reward for holding their composure when the pressure was at its highest.
A three-point difference decided the championship.
After the intensity of the group stage, the knockout rounds and a final that remained alive until the closing points, Egypt had done enough to lift the Team Relay title at Aero Beach.
The Team Relay may now have a champion, but the Africa AirBadminton Championships continue. With the individual competitions getting underway, there is still plenty more to come from Entebbe.
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