Lubega-Mbabazi pair stop at Silver again as Uganda improve medal haul

Uganda’s top mixed doubles badminton pair of Muzafaru Lubega and Gladys Mbabazi settled for silver for the second consecutive week, but their latest runner-up finish helped the country improve its overall medal tally at the Uganda International Series 2026, which concluded at the Lugogo Indoor Arena on Sunday.

The Ugandan duo once again fell to Malaysia’s Hafiz Hakimi Hashim and Lim Xuan in the mixed doubles final, suffering a second consecutive defeat to the same opponents at the same venue after their earlier meeting in the Kampala International Future Series final on September 27.

Despite the disappointment of missing out on gold, Uganda finished the 2026 Uganda International Series with five medals, comprising one silver and four bronze, improving on the three medals one silver and two bronze secured at the 2025 edition.

Lubega and Mbabazi were Uganda’s leading performers throughout the tournament, carrying the country’s hopes in the mixed doubles competition as the home contingent sought to make the most of the international event.

Their latest final appearance came after an impressive run through the competition, highlighted by a hard-fought semifinal victory over Algeria’s Mohamed Abdelaziz Ouchefoun and Linda Mazri on Saturday.

The Ugandan pair edged the Algerians 21-19, 21-19 to book their place in Sunday’s final and set up another showdown with Hashim and Lim, whom they had hoped to dethrone following their defeat a week earlier.

However, the Malaysians once again stood in their way, leaving Lubega and Mbabazi with another silver medal rather than the gold they had targeted.

The back-to-back final defeats came after the Ugandans had reached the final of the Kampala International Future Series on September 27, where Hashim and Lim prevailed 21-12, 21-13 in straight games.

Although the score from Sunday’s Uganda International Series final finished 21-17, 21-10 in favour of the Malaysians, the outcome remained the same with the Ugandan duo finishing second.

Their consecutive silver medal performances, however, show their growing status as Uganda’s leading mixed doubles partnership on the Badminton World Federation (BWF) circuit and Africa’s seed number two, following their bronze medal achievement at the Lagos International Badminton Classics in August.

The pair will now continue their pursuit of ranking points as they seek qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

Uganda’s medal haul

Beyond the mixed doubles silver, Uganda collected four bronze medals across the five competition categories.

In the mixed doubles, Reagan Michael Nsubuga and Tracy Naluwooza claimed bronze alongside Algeria’s Ouchefoun and Mazri, who also finished third.

Malaysia’s Hashim and Lim won the gold medal, while Lubega and Mbabazi took silver.

In the women’s doubles, Gladys Mbabazi and Meble Namakoye secured bronze, as did Fadilah Shamika Mohamed Rafi and Tracy Naluwooza, with India’s Akshita Manral and Ishita Negi taking gold ahead of compatriots Sonali Singh and Ritika Thaker, who won silver.

The men’s doubles title went to Malaysia’s Hafiz Hakimi Hashim and Meng Fong Wong, while India’s Manav Choudhary and Himanshu Tiwari finished second. India’s Abhyuday Choudhary and Ayush Makhija and Malaysia’s Andy Yew Tung Kok and Yu Sheng Lim shared bronze.

In the women’s singles, India dominated the podium, with Aesha Gandhi winning gold, Akshita Manral taking silver, and Ishita Negi claiming bronze alongside Uganda’s Mbabazi.

Myanmar’s Hein Htut won the men’s singles title, with Iran’s Ali Hayati settling for silver. India’s Abhishek Kanapala and Nigeria’s Victor Ikechukwu shared the bronze medals.

Progress from the previous edition

Uganda’s five-medal return represents an improvement on its performance at the 2025 Uganda International Series; the country’s total medal count was lower at the previous edition.

At the 2025 tournament, Ugandan shuttlers won three medals, comprising one silver and two bronze.

Fadilah Shamika Mohamed Rafi and Tracy Naluwooza claimed silver in the women’s doubles, while Meble Namakoye and Rajab Shamsa Mbira took bronze in the same category. Muzafaru Lubega and Husina Kobugabe also won bronze in the mixed doubles.

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