Maldives’ Laiba Ahmed Mahluf has clinched bronze medals in both the doubles and mixed doubles events at the Lithuanian International Badminton Festival, a prestigious event under the Badminton Europe calendar. Demonstrating her talent and resilience, Laiba reached the quarterfinals in the singles category and advanced to the semifinals in doubles and mixed doubles.
In the singles quarterfinals, Laiba faced a tough match against Ukraine’s top player and tournament runner-up, Emma, pushing the game to three sets. Despite a strong performance, Laiba lost narrowly with scores of 21-14, 19-21, and 21-0 in favor of Emma. In the doubles semifinals, Laiba and her partner put up a good fight against teams from Sri Lanka and Ukraine, ultimately being edged out in a 1-2 match, finishing with scores of 21-19, 11-21, and 21-1.
Laiba’s journey in the mixed doubles also came to an end in the semifinals, with her team falling 0-2 against competitors from Lithuania and Ukraine. Her bronze medal wins highlight a promising future for Maldivian badminton on the international stage.
