Ritah Asiimwe
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox badminton player
| name = Ritah Asiimwe
{{nobold|PLY}}
| country = {{UGA}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1986|07|10|df=y}}
| birth_place = Kabarole, Uganda
| residence = Kampala
| handedness = Left
| event = Women's singles SU5
Women's doubles SL3–SU5
Mixed doubles SL3–SU5
| highest_ranking = 15 (WS 29 November 2022)
7 (WD with Elizabeth Mwesigwa 2 July 2024)
98 (XD with Kizza Edward Kabonge 20 September 2022)
| date_of_highest_ranking =
| current_ranking = 19 (WS)
11 (WD with Elizabeth Mwesigwa)
| date_of_current_ranking = 5 September 2024
| medals =
{{Medal|Sport|Women's para-badminton}}
{{Medal|Country|{{UGA}}}}
{{Medal|Competition|African Championships}}
{{Medal|Gold| 2022 Kampala | Women's singles }}
{{Medal|Gold| 2022 Kampala | Women's doubles }}
{{Medal|Bronze| 2023 Kampala | Women's doubles }}
| bwfbadminton_id = P75781
| bwfpara_id = A3ED40F5-58C5-4CFD-AB3D-A7DCA91969E2
}}
Ritah Asiimwe PLY (born 10 July 1986) is a Ugandan para-badminton player who is ranked as the country's number one in the women's SU5 category. She is ranked as Africa's number 2 para badminton player and in 2020 became the first Ugandan para badminton player to compete in the Summer Paralympics.
{{As of|2024|04|16|post=,|df=yes}} she is ranked 7th worldwide in the women's para-badminton doubles (SL3-SU5 category) and 19th worldwide in the women's para-badminton singles (SU5 category) by the Badminton World Federation.{{cite web |author= |url=https://bwfpara.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/winners.aspx?id=94e56d7e-243b-4c92-8278-18a2229cdada |title=BWF Para Badminton World Rankings (4/16/2024): Ranking of Ritah ASIIMWE (P75781) |website=Badminton World Federation |access-date=18 April 2024}}
Background and education
Asiimwe has a bachelor's degree in Development studies from Mbarara University.
As a beneficiary of the Badminton World Federation in partnership with the World Academy of Sport (WAoS) initiative, she graduated from the University of London’s Postgraduate Certificate in International Sports Management programme in 2023.{{Cite web |title=Auto Draft |url=https://development.bwfbadminton.com/whats-new/triumph-beyond-the-court-athletes-shine-as-graduates-of-dual-career-programme |access-date=2024-03-22 |language=en-US}}
Sports
In January 2005, Asiimwe lost her right arm after an assault and now uses her left hand.{{Cite web |title=Ugandan's Ritah Asiimwe retrains body and mind after loss of right hand |url=https://www.paralympic.org/feature/ugandan-s-ritah-asiimwe-retrains-body-and-mind-after-loss-right-hand |access-date=2024-03-22 |website=International Paralympic Committee |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Paralympics Review – Showcasing the Extraordinary |url=https://olympics.bwfbadminton.com/news-single/2021/09/17/paralympics-review-showcasing-extraordinary-abilities |access-date=22 March 2024 |website=olympics.bwfbadminton.com |language=en-US}} After visiting the Uganda Para Badminton International in 2018, she took up the sport.
While ranked 15th in the SU5 women's singles, she participated in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.{{Cite web |date=6 September 2021 |title=Paralympics: So much to do |url=https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/sports/soccer/paralympics-so-much-to-do-3539122 |access-date=22 March 2024 |website=Monitor |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=1 September 2021 |title='Dream come true' for players as badminton makes long-waited Paralympics debut |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210901-dream-come-true-for-players-as-badminton-makes-long-waited-paralympics-debut |access-date=22 March 2024 |website=France 24 |language=en}}
Asiimwe has participated in the 2021, 2022 and 2023 editions of the African Para-Badminton Championships. She won the SU5 women's singles and partnered with Elizabeth Mwesigwa to win the SL3-SU5 women's doubles in 2022,{{cite web |author= |url=https://bwfpara.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/winners.aspx?id=94e56d7e-243b-4c92-8278-18a2229cdada |title=African Para Badminton Championships: Winners 2022 |website=Badminton World Federation |access-date=18 April 2024}} and teamed up with Mwesigwa again in 2023 to finish tied for third in the SL3-SU5 Women's Doubles.{{cite web |author= |url=https://bwfpara.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/winners.aspx?id=6f22535c-5ff0-4618-9f66-e24484c69487 |title=African Para Badminton Championships 2023: Winners |website=Badminton World Federation |access-date=18 April 2024}}
Achievements
= African Championships =
Women's singles
| class="sortable wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;"
!Year !Venue !Opponent !Score !Result |
| style="background:#ECF2FF"
| rowspan="4" align="center" |2022{{Efn|This tournament uses a round robin system.}} | rowspan="4" align="left" |Lugogo Indoor Stadium, Kampala, Uganda |{{flagicon|CAF}} Ketsia Ambare |21–7, 21–12 | rowspan="4" style="text-align:left; background:white" |Gold Gold |
| style="background:#ECF2FF"
|{{flagicon|EGY}} Mona Fares Mohamed |21–7, 24–26, 21–6 |
| style="background:#ECF2FF"
|{{flagicon|UGA}} Sumini Mutesi |21–18, 17–21, 21–14 |
| style="background:#ECF2FF"
| align="left" |{{flagicon|ZAM}} Josephine Zulu | align="left" |21–10, 21–16 |
Women's doubles
| class="sortable wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;"
!Year !Venue !Partner !Opponent !Score !Result |
| style="background:#ECF2FF"
| align="center" |2022 | align="left" |Lugogo Indoor Stadium, | align="left" |{{flagicon|UGA}} Elizabeth Mwesigwa | align="left" |{{flagicon|UGA}} Sumini Mutesi | align="left" |21–11, 21–16 | style="text-align:left; background:white" |Gold Gold |
| style="background:#ECF2FF"
| align="center" |2023 | align="left" |Lugogo Indoor Stadium, | align="left" |{{flagicon|UGA}} Elizabeth Mwesigwa | align="left" |{{flagicon|NGR}} Mariam Eniola Bolaji | align="left" |10–21, 7–21 | style="text-align:left; background:white" |Bronze Bronze |
See also
References
{{reflist}}
Notes
{{Notelist}}
External links
- {{BWFB|P75781}}
- {{BWFPara|A3ED40F5-58C5-4CFD-AB3D-A7DCA91969E2}}
- {{IPC|ritah-asiimwe}}
- [https://www.paralympic.org/tokyo-2020/results/badminton/women-s-singles-su5 Ritah Asiimwe] at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games
{{DEFAULTSORT:Asiimwe, Ritah}}
Category:Ugandan para-badminton players
Category:Mbarara University alumni