Hussain Zayan Shaheed Zaki retained the men’s singles title at the Badminton Association Championship on Friday, dedicating the victory to his mother and setting his sights on international success.

Zayan defeated close friend Nibal Ahmed in a gripping final at Ekuveni Hall, winning 15-11, 9-15, 17-15.

Speaking after the match, Zayan said his main motivation for competing locally was to make his family proud.

“My only motivation in local tournaments now is to bring happiness to my mother and family,” he said.

Zayan has also been central to Revival Sports’ growing presence on the international stage. Last year, the club competed independently in overseas tournaments and achieved a series of landmark results for Maldivian badminton.

Having played a key role in that success, Zayan said his ambitions were now focused firmly beyond local competitions.

“The target is to win gold medals for the country in international competitions within the next two or three years,” he said.

In addition to the singles title, Zayan reached the finals of both the men’s doubles and mixed doubles events.

In the mixed doubles final, he and Fathimath Nabaha were beaten by Nibal Ahmed and Aminath Nabiha 12-15, 15-12, 15-11.

In the men’s doubles final, Zayan and Nibal were trailing Ahmed Thoif and Riyaz Mohamed 4-3 when Nibal was forced to retire through injury, leaving the pair to settle for runners-up.