(Seychelles News Agency) - A Seychellois women’s doubles badminton team has won gold in the African championship that took place in Algeria from February 16 to 18.

The Seychelles’ team of Juliette Ah-Wan and Allisen Camille defeated the Algerian duo of Doha Hany and Hadia Hosny in the final on Sunday 21-18, 13-21 and 21-18.

Speaking to SNA via Facebook, Ah-wan said, “I am so happy with our performance. I was not expecting gold.”

Ah-Wan said the final match was not easy and what made the victory special was that “I had stopped playing badminton for the last two years and just made my comeback six months ago for the competition.”

The gold is their third at an international event for Ah-Wan and Camille, 25, who have been playing in the women’s doubles for seven years. They also won gold in the African championship in Mauritius in 2013 and in the All Africa Games in Congo Brazzaville in 2015. 

The Seychelles' team -- winner of the gold medal -- with winners of the silver and bronze medals. (Juliette Ah-Wan) Photo License: CC-BY

Ah-Wan, 36, has also won other gold medals in international competition in the singles and mixed doubles events. She has won three gold medals in the African championships for women’s singles -- in Morocco in 2002, Algeria 2006 and Kenya in 2009. Ah-Wan has also won gold in the mixed doubles team.

The African Badminton Championships is a tournament organised by the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) to crown the best badminton players in Africa. This year’s event saw the participation of 15 countries including Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean.