Shamika sets African record at the FISU World University Games in Germany

Ugandan badminton player Fadilah Shamika made history on Thursday by becoming the first African player to reach the round of 16 in the FISU World University Games badminton competition held at the Westenergie Sporthalle in Mülheim an der Ruhr. 

The 20-year-old first-year business administration student at Victoria University defeated Turkey’s Tugcenur Korkmaz 2-1 in the round of 32. 

This victory added to her earlier success when she won against Kazakhstan's Aisha Zhumabek in straight sets (2-0) in the previous round. In her match against Korkmaz, Shamika lost the first set 15-10 but bounced back to win the second set 15-11. 

She ultimately secured victory in the deciding set with a score of 15-13. After her strong performance in the round of 32, Africa celebrated her achievement, and the tournament organisers moved her round of 16 match to the center court for all to watch, highlighting her as a standout player from Uganda. 

Fadhilah Shamika in action against Turkey's Tugcenur Korkmaz during a round of 32 match at the Westenergie Sporthalle in Mulheim an der Ruhr. Photo by Michael Nsubuga

“It is a big achievement for me,” Shamika stated. 

“This is my first World University Games championship, and it is my biggest accomplishment at the world level. I’m really happy because being the first Ugandan and African to do this is a significant honor.”

“My goal is to elevate Africa and Uganda on the global stage and give the Asian and European players a run for their money. They shouldn’t underestimate us, and I feel like I’m taking a step towards achieving that. I’m grateful,” she added. Shamika credited her impressive performance to the training she received in Mauritius before the tournament. 

“This is my first international competition in a long time, and I can see the improvement, which is encouraging.” 

Despite a rocky start where she lost the first set due to what she described as a lack of ‘court touch’—noting that she hadn’t played much recently while her opponent had just finished a doubles match—she quickly adapted and went on to win. 

In the round of 16, however, she lost 2-0 (15-5, 15-3) to the more experienced Ellan Lin, an 18-year-old Social Sciences student from Santa Clara University in the U.S. Nevertheless, Shamika had already earned the recognition she deserved, including praise from her coach Ivan Karimunda. 

“The match was tough and competitive. We lost the first set, but we regained our composure and took the second. The third was full of drama; she led 13-9 but allowed her opponent to level the score, which made it challenging. Nevertheless, she fought hard to win,” Karimunda recounted. 

“This is a significant achievement because I haven’t seen any African player reach this level since I began coaching the university team in 2006. She is on the rise, and I believe she will perform even better in the next World Games, especially now that her doubles partner, Tracy Naluwooza, has also joined the university,” he said. 

This year, Fadilah has celebrated notable successes, including winning a bronze medal at the African Championships. Her crowning achievement, however, was securing gold in singles at the 2023 All Africa Senior Championship in South Africa, where she triumphed over Johanita Scholtz 2-1 in the final. 

Additionally, she has won the national rankings tournament and emerged victorious at the East African Challenge last year. Shamika has represented Uganda in various international competitions, including the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, UK, the ISF Gymnasiade in Normandy, France, the Uganda International Tournament in Kampala, the Africa Junior Championships in Mauritius, and the East Africa Secondary Schools Championships in Kigali, Rwanda.