On Wednesday night, teenagers Jemimah Nakawala and Judith Parvin Nangonzi would ideally have been preparing for the next day’s classes at Kibuli Secondary School.
However, the duo was inside the Boulevard SEF Arena 01B shedding tears, far away in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh.
The combo’s fairytale run in the women’s doubles of the table tennis action at the Islamic Solidarity Games had just ended in a 3-1 loss at the hands of Iranians Safaei Shima and Neda Shahsavari.
The Iranians had lost the opener 11-9 in the first game only to return and humble Uganda’s teenagers 11-3, 11-2 and 11-8 in the semifinal contest.
And there were mixed feelings for the youngsters from Nakasero Table Tennis Club despite securing a historic bronze medal and tears of more defeat than delight, clearly showing that they wanted more.
‘I am very happy for this medal, even if it is a bronze medal because it is my first time to play the Islamic Solidarity Games and I feel very happy to win,’ said the 17-year-old Nangonzi late on Wednesday. ‘I dedicate this medal to my family, my club and mostly my coaches,’ she added.
‘First of all, I want to thank my coaches who have supported us. I also want to thank my teammate Parvin for the hard work,’ said the 15-year-old Nakawala. ‘I am so happy, this medal really motivates us to work harder.’
This marked a historic moment for table tennis, with their coach Alvin Katumba watching in Riyadh. The recent rise of a young crop of talent has set a new level of history. The bronze medal in Riyadh is the country’s first table tennis piece of silverware at a global sports championship.
Table tennis has always featured at the Commonwealth Games, including Nangonzi at the 2022 edition in Birmingham, England but never picked a medal.
In Olympic history, Uganda has not made an entry since Mary Musoke made her three-peat at the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia where she lost all singles matches to Russian Irina Palina and Hong Kong’s Song Ah Sim in Group N.
At the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, USA, Uganda entered Musoke and June Kyakobye in the women’s singles while Paul Batambuze played in the men’s singles and all lost their outings.
Batambuze was the last Ugandan to win a table tennis medal, a bronze with George Yiga and Francis Kateregga at the 1995 All-Africa Games in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Uganda had tasted no table tennis delight not until Nangonzi, Nakawala and Patience Anyango won bronze at the Africa Table Tennis Championships in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia last year.
Last month, Nangonzi, Nakawala and Judith Mirembe pushed Uganda to the 2026 World Championships – a maiden opportunity – via the African Championships in Tunis, Tunisia.
2025 ISLAMIC SOLIDARITY GAMES
UGANDANS IN ACTION – SATURDAY
TABLE TENNIS – MEN’S SINGLES
ROUND OF 32: Joshua Magaya 0-4 Jellouli Milhane (ALG)
ROUND OF 64: Joseph Sebatindira 1-4 Onur Guluzade (AZE)
ROUND OF 64: Magaya 4-3 Mohammadian Hossain (IRN)
TABLE TENNIS – WOMEN’S SINGLES
QUARTERFINALS: Jemimah Nakawala 1-4 Yousra Ashraf (EGY)
LAST 16: Nakawala 4-0 Saida Kudusova (KAZ)
LAST 16: Judith Parvin Nangonzi 3-4 Chelsea Reene (GUY)
LAST 32: Jemimah Nakawala 4-2 Hoor Fawad (PAK)
LAST 32: Judith Nangonzi 4-0 Amiri Sumayai (TJK)
TEAM RESULTS – WOMEN’S DOUBLES
SEMIFINAL: Uganda 1-3 Iran
QUARTERFINAL: Uganda 3-2 Azerbaijan
TEAM Uganda: Nakawala, Nangonzi
TEAM RESULTS – MEN’S DOUBLES
LAST 16: Uganda 1-3 Guyana
GROUP C: Uganda 8-4 Guyana
TEAM Uganda: Sebatindira, Magaya
TEAM RESULTS – MIXED DOUBLES
LAST 16: Uganda 1-3 Cameroon
TEAM Uganda: Sebatindira, Nangonzi
UGANDA’S MEDALS AT THE ISG
2005 Mecca: Boniface Kiprop (Athletics – 10000 Metres Bronze)
2017 Baku: Halimah Nakaayi (Athletics – 800 Metres Silver)
2021 Konya: Abel Chebet (Athletics – 5000 Metres Silver and 10000 Metres Gold), Kirabo Namutebi (Swimming – 50 Metres Freestyle Silver), Husnah Kukundakwe (Swimming – 100 Metres Breaststroke SB4-SB9 Gold, 200 Metres Individual Medley SM5-SM10 Gold, 50 Metres Freestyle S4-S10, 400 Metres Freestyle S6-S10 Silver, 100 Metres Backstroke S6-S10 Silver, 100 Metres Freestyle S4-S10 Bronze)
2025 Riyadh: Alfred Ojok (Boxing – 80kg Bronze), Gloria Muzito (Swimming – 50 Metres Freestyle Gold, 100 Metres Freestyle Gold, 200 Metres Freestyle Silver), Jesse Ssengonzi (Swimming – 100 Metres Butterfly Bronze), Jemimah Nakawala and Judith Parvin Nangonzi (Table Tennis – Women’s Doubles Bronze)