Ritah Asiimwe PLY (born 10 July 1986) is a Ugandan para-badminton player who is ranked as the country's number one in the women's SU5 category. She is ranked as Africa's number 2 para badminton player and in 2020 became the first Ugandan para badminton player to compete in the Summer Paralympics.
| Ritah Asiimwe PLY | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  Uganda | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 10 July 1986 Kabarole, Uganda | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Residence | Kampala | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Handedness | Left | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Women's singles SU5 Women's doubles SL3–SU5 Mixed doubles SL3–SU5 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | 15 (WS 29 November 2022) 7 (WD with Elizabeth Mwesigwa 2 July 2024) 98 (XD with Kizza Edward Kabonge 20 September 2022) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Current ranking | 19 (WS) 11 (WD with Elizabeth Mwesigwa) (5 September 2024) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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As of 16 April 2024,[update] she is ranked 7th worldwide in the women's para-badminton doubles (SL3-SU5 category) and 19th worldwide in the women's para-badminton singles (SU5 category) by the Badminton World Federation.[1]
Background and education
editAsiimwe has a bachelor's degree in Development studies from Mbarara University.
As a beneficiary of Badminton World Federation in partnership with the World Academy of Sport (WAoS) initiative, she graduated the University of London’s Postgraduate Certificate in International Sports Management programme in 2023.[2]
Sports
editIn January 2005, Asiimwe lost her right arm after an assault and now uses her left hand.[3][4] After visiting the Uganda Para Badminton International in 2018, she took up the sport.[3]
While ranked 15th in the SU5 women's singles, she participated in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.[5][6]
Asiimwe has participated in the 2021, 2022 and 2023 editions of the African Para-Badminton Championships. She won the SU5 women's singles and partnered with Elizabeth Mwesigwa to win the SL3-SU5 women's doubles in 2022,[7] and teamed up with Mwesigwa again in 2023 to finish tied for third in the SL3-SU5 Women's Doubles.[8]
Achievements
editAfrican Championships
editWomen's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022[a] | Lugogo Indoor Stadium, Kampala, Uganda |  Ketsia Ambare
|
21–7, 21–12 |  Gold
|
 Mona Fares Mohamed
|
21–7, 24–26, 21–6 | |||
| Sumini Mutesi
|
21–18, 17–21, 21–14 | |||
 Josephine Zulu
|
21–10, 21–16 |
Women's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Lugogo Indoor Stadium, Kampala, Uganda |
Elizabeth Mwesigwa
|
Sumini Mutesi Rose Nansereko
|
21–11, 21–16 | Gold
|
| 2023 | Lugogo Indoor Stadium, Kampala, Uganda |
Elizabeth Mwesigwa
|
 Mariam Eniola Bolaji Chinyere Lucky Okoro
|
10–21, 7–21 |  Bronze
|
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "BWF Para Badminton World Rankings (4/16/2024): Ranking of Ritah ASIIMWE (P75781)". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ "Auto Draft". Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Ugandan's Ritah Asiimwe retrains body and mind after loss of right hand". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ "Paralympics Review – Showcasing the Extraordinary". olympics.bwfbadminton.com. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ "Paralympics: So much to do". Monitor. 6 September 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ "'Dream come true' for players as badminton makes long-waited Paralympics debut". France 24. 1 September 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ "African Para Badminton Championships: Winners 2022". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ "African Para Badminton Championships 2023: Winners". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
Notes
edit- ^ This tournament uses a round robin system.