On 27 June, Egypt’s women’s table tennis team made history by obtaining the country’s first-ever gold medal in the 2022 Mediterranean Games, in Oran, Algeria.
The three-woman team, which features veteran Dina Meshref, former African Singles champion Mariam Alhodaby, and Hana Goda, reigning African Singles champion, defeated Italy in the final to obtain gold.
Egypt’s path to the final was a clean sweep, defeating Algeria and Tunisia during the group stage, followed by a victory over Serbia in the semi-finals.
All three athletes set a sporting precedent after featuring in the International Table Tennis Federation’s (ITTF) top 50 rankings at the same time, with Meshref at 45th, Alhodaby at 43rd, and Goda at 35th.
Goda, most notably, has become one of Egypt’s most immense sporting sensations, as the starlet continues to decorate her trophy cabinet at only 14 years old. Goda’s shining star was evident on 31 May, when she became the African Singles tournament’s youngest-ever champion.
Egypt’s team will be competing amongst one another in the Mediterranean Games’ Singles tournament, which starts on 28 June and concludes on 30 June. Meshref, the reigning Singles gold medalist from the previous Mediterranean Games in 2018 will be looking to defend her title against her eager teammates.
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