Table tennis star, Fathimath Dheema Ali is gearing up to compete in the upcoming Ranking Championships slated to begin on August 16, striving further ahead in her career after competing in the Paris 2024 Olympic.
Table tennis star, Fathimath Dheema Ali is striving forward in her sports career following her participation in the Paris 2024 Olympics which concluded two days ago. She is now gearing up to compete in the upcoming Ranking Championships slated to begin on August 16.
Dheema, who currently claims number one on the national table tennis ranking will compete in the tournament tomorrow.
This year's table tennis competitions are spanned over to a season. Once the Ranking Championships conclude, the Association's Cup will take place, followed by the National Table Tennis Tournament Cup.
Dheema claims the reigning champions title for both these events. In triumphing the National Table Tennis Tournament Cup last year, she boldly boasted an undefeated record of winning four successive tournaments.
Dheema, who competed in the recent Olympic Games had secured a spot in the prestigious global multisport tournament after clinching the qualifiers against renown Sri Lankan athlete, Bimandi Bandara.
Dheema was also presented the honor of being the female Maldivian flag bearer at the Olympics.
In a highly challenging first match, Dheema encountered defeat in the Olympics' preliminary round at the hands of experienced Polish athlete, Katarzyna Wegrzyn.
Wegrzyn, 23, won the match against Dheema with four games, closing the first three sets with ease.
However, Dheema, 16, rallied in the fourth set, presenting a substantial challenge to Wegrzyn. The table tennis star had come commendably close to ending the set in a draw, compelling Wegrzyn to take a time-out under pressure.
Amid this chance obtained to come to draw, a ball sent by Dheema had however hit the net, awarding a point to Wegrzyn. The Polish athlete then clinched two more points, concluding the set at 8-11.
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