PETALING JAYA: Former world No. 1 singles player Roslin Hashim has already tasted success with Egypt despite being in charge for less than three months.
Roslin, who took over the Egyptian badminton squad in December, admitted that their bid to qualify for the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup Finals fell short at the All-Africa Championships in Gaborone, Botswana, from Feb 9-12.
However, the team did not return empty-handed.
Men’s singles shuttler Adham Hatem Elgamal won the individual gold medal following the withdrawal of Mauritius’ Jean Bernard Bongout in the final.
It was Adham’s first continental gold since he won the same title in Kampala, Uganda, in 2021.
In the women’s doubles, Nour Ahmed Youssri-Doha Hany settled for silver after going down 18-21, 17-21 to South Africa’s Amy Ackerman-Johanita Scholtz.
“Egypt did not qualify for the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup Finals because only the champions earn the slot. But for me personally, having just started coaching this team, I’m grateful to see their progress,” said Roslin.
Unlike Asia and Europe, which are allocated four slots each to the world team meet, Africa is granted only one berth, reserved for the champions.
Egypt’s men settled for joint bronze in the team event alongside Zambia, while the women’s team saw their hopes of reaching the Uber Cup Finals dashed after a 1-3 defeat to South Africa in the final.
Egypt’s women last qualified for the Finals at the 2020 edition in Aarhus, which remains their only appearance at the prestigious team championships.
Roslin said winning one title had whetted his appetite to guide the team for more success.
“Winning the men’s singles title was big. Overall, Egypt brought home one gold, one silver and three bronze medals. I’m thankful that within a short period, we managed to secure a title.
“There is still much to be done with this team. Let us hope we can achieve even more success in the future,” he added.
