Uganda’s women’s 3×3 basketball team, the Gazelles, etched their names into the history books after winning the country’s first-ever Commonwealth Games medal in the discipline, claiming a historic silver medal at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
The Gazelles fell 21-11 to Australia in the gold medal match Wednesday night, but their remarkable run to the final secured Uganda’s maiden Commonwealth Games medal in 3×3 basketball.
The achievement also earned Uganda its second silver medal of the Games, coming just two days after para-swimmer Husnah Kukundakwe finished second in her event.
The quartet of Melissa Akullu, Jane Asinde, Jamila Nansikombi and Perus Nyamwenge produced a spirited campaign throughout the tournament, winning over fans at the Scottish Events Centre with their resilience, teamwork and exciting style of play.
Bitter-sweet ending
Australia, who had also beaten Uganda in the group stage, proved too strong once again in the final.
The reigning champions relied on their superior physicality and clinical shooting to retain the title.
Despite the defeat, the Gazelles left the stage with their heads held high after achieving the greatest result in the history of Ugandan 3×3 basketball.
‘I would like to believe that we put up a good fight, and I am so proud of the girls and how hard we fought in this game,’ Akullu said after the final.
Competing in the inaugural women’s 3×3 basketball tournament at the Commonwealth Games, Uganda emerged as one of the competition’s biggest success stories.
The Gazelles defeated Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, Kenya, Tonga and New Zealand during their memorable run to the final.
Their commanding 21-9 victory over New Zealand in the semifinals guaranteed Uganda its first-ever Commonwealth Games medal in 3×3 basketball before they capped off the campaign with a historic silver.
The achievement represents another major milestone for Ugandan basketball and highlights the continued rise of the women’s game.
Akullu, Asinde, Nansikombi and Nyamwenge have now cemented their place as pioneers, delivering a medal-winning performance that is expected to inspire future generations.
Building on success
Before the tournament tipped off in Glasgow, the Gazelles had openly declared their ambition of winning a medal-and they delivered.
Head coach Nicholas Natuhereza praised his players for their outstanding performance but stressed that Uganda must now build on the historic achievement.
‘This is the highest honour we have achieved in 3×3 basketball internationally, and we need to see how to build on it. Otherwise, it will have gone to waste,’ said Natuhereza.
The silver medal further underlined the rapid progress of Uganda’s women’s basketball programme.
All four players were also instrumental in Uganda’s triumph at the Fiba Zone V Women’s AfroBasket Qualifiers in Egypt last year, further demonstrating the team’s steady rise on the continental and international stage.