Badminton

Namibia created history by winning all the titles at the South African Under 13 Badminton Championships in Cape Town last week.

It was the first time ever that a team had won all the team and individual titles on offer at the South African Championships and further underlined the growing force that Namibian badminton has become on the African continent.

The president of the Namibian Badminton Federation Jurgen Leicher said he was astounded by the team’s success.

Alfred Sumaiili and Ella Scholtz were crowned Namibia’s singles champions at the National Closed Badminton Championships in Windhoek on June 4.

The top seeded Sumaiili beat second seeded Jurgen Leicher 21-15, 21-17 in the men’s final, while Scholtz beat Atushe Shihepo 21-14, 21-11 in the women’s final.

Sumaiili and Leicher teamed up to win the men’s doubles title after defeating Quintin du Preez and Org van Rensburg 17-21, 21-16, 21-17 in the final, while Julie Rush and Melanie Campbell beat Ella Scholtz and Lynette Scholtz 21-15, 14-21, 21-9 in the women’s doubles final.

The Namibian Closed Badminton Championships will be held in Windhoek on Friday and Saturday, with players battling it out for places in the national team.

Several international tournaments are in the pipeline this year, including the All Africa Games in September, an Under 19 team for the South African Provincials, and a junior team for the All Africa Junior Championships, and teams for these events will be announced after the championships. There is also a possibility that two teams will participate in the South African Country Districts tournament in July.