Ackerman wins fourth continental title
This was her third title in a row after winning it for the first time in 2021.
Eastern Gauteng Badminton Association (EGBA) top player Amy Ackerman, of Benoni, won her third continental women’s doubles title in a row during the All Africa senior Badminton Championships in Douala, Cameroon, last month.
The doubles specialist, who has won the title four times, and her partner, Johanita Scholtz, dispatched Algerians Yasmina Chiban and Linda Mazri 24-22 and 21-10 in the final to win SA’s only gold medal in the competition.
This was Ackerman and Scholtz’s second women’s doubles gold as a team after winning the title in 2021 in Uganda.
Ackerman won it again in 2023 with fellow Benonian Deidrè Laurens and they successfully defended it last year at the championships in Egypt, as they dominated the women’s doubles on the continent for two years.
After helping SA to third place in the team event and Scholtz’ bid for a gold in the women’s singles ended in the quarter-finals, the duo began their campaign with an easy 21-12 and 21-8 defeat of Nigeria’s Chineye Ibere and Uchechukwu Keh in the first round.
They then eliminated Algeria’s Hall Bouksani and Tanina Mammeri with a 21-11, 21-15 win to set up a meeting with the top-ranked Ugandan pair of Fadilah Mohamed Rafi and Tracy Naluwooza.
They defeated Rafi and Naluwooza 21-15, 21-10 to advance to the final where they met Chiban and Mazri in a tight match.
Ackerman and Scholtz won the first set 24-22 after a tiebreaker before dominating the second set 21-10 for their victory.
“This is a remarkable achievement for Amy. This is the third year in a row she has won the All Africa Ladies Doubles title. Amy and Johanita won the coveted Ladies Doubles title in 2021 and now again this year,” said the EGBA’s Vicky Fenny.
The EGBA was also represented by young Miguel Vigario. His first experience of senior badminton was ended in the first round by Amos Muyanja from Uganda.
He was eliminated in the second round in the men’s doubles with his partner Daniel Steyn and his journey in the mixed doubles with partner Elme de Villiers ended in the first round.
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