Fadilah Muhamed makes bold debut at World Badminton Championships

Uganda’s rising badminton talent, Fadilah Shamika Muhamed, made her debut at the 29th edition of the BWF World Badminton Championships in Paris on Monday, showcasing resilience despite a tough loss to Scotland’s Kirsty Gilmour in the women’s singles round of 64.

The 21-year-old faced a formidable opponent in Gilmour, ranked world No. 31 with over 400 career wins. Shamika, currently ranked outside the top 100 and appearing at this level for the first time, fell in straight sets 5–21, 12–21.

The opening game proved challenging as Shamika struggled to settle against the vastly experienced Scot. However, she showed marked improvement in the second set, narrowing the gap to 12–14 before Gilmour pulled away.

Despite the defeat, Shamika expressed pride in representing Uganda on the global stage.

“It was a good feeling having the crowd cheer for Uganda and showing that we are not as easy as people may think,” she told Vision Sports.

“I found more confidence in my second game and was able to catch up to her level and try to pace the match.”

With only a few hours before her next match, Shamika emphasized the importance of recovery ahead of her doubles campaign later in the evening.

“I shall do my rest and nutrition well to recover for the doubles,” she added.

National coach William Kabinde praised Shamika’s fighting spirit and noted key areas for growth.

“Considering the caliber of her opponent, she did well. She struggled to control the shuttle early on but kept fighting, which helped her improve in the second game,” Kabinde said. “Her next step is mastering shuttle control, especially adjusting to different speeds. She played many shuttles out that could have earned her points.”

Kabinde also expressed optimism about the upcoming doubles match.

“If they stick to the way we’ve been training, I expect a very interesting performance.”

Shamika will now partner with Tracy Naluwooza in the women’s doubles, where the Ugandan duo will face Kristen De Wit of the Netherlands and Mariia Stoliarenko of Ukraine at 8:20 PM EAT.