Laiba wins bronze at Lithuania int’l festival

Young Maldivian athlete Laiba “Elly” Ahmed Mahloof has won bronze at the Lithuanian International Festival held in Lithuania.

Taking to social media platform ‘X’ following the matches, Laiba extended gratitude to Minister of Sports, Fitness and Recreation Abdulla Rafiu, Badminton Association of Maldives, Managing Director of State Electric Company (STELCO), Sonee Sports, as well as Atmosphere Hotels and Resorts for the support.

The tournament took place from November 1 – 2.

Laiba won bronze medals in the doubles and mixed doubles events.

In the doubles event, Laiba's pair partner was Emma Karatanova from Ukraine. In the doubles semi-final match, Laiba and Emma’s pair lost in three sets. The Lithuanian pair won the first set 21-19. However, Laiba and Emma’s pair won the second set 21-11. In the third set, the Lithuanian pair prevailed over Laiba and Emma with a score of 21-15.

In the mixed doubles event, Laiba's pair partner was Alfred Parv from Estonia. In the match, Laiba's pair competed against a pair from Latvia and Ukraine. The pair lost in straight sets, with scores of 21-07 in the first set and 21-10 in the second set.

Laiba also competed in the singles event of the tournament. She won all three matches in the group stage of the singles event, securing a spot in the quarterfinals. However, Laiba was defeated in the quarterfinals by Ukraine's top player, Emma. Emma won the game in three sets.

In addition to Lithuania, top players from Latvia, Poland, Estonia, and Ukraine competed in the tournament.

The two-day tournament is a calendar event of Badminton Europe.

Laiba has participated in several badminton tournaments and has won a total of eight medals this year.