For Ugandan badminton star Gladys Mbabazi, silver medals and semifinal finishes are no longer enough. Fresh off another gritty campaign on the international circuit calendar, Mbabazi has made her ultimate ambition crystal clear which is her and partner Muzafaru Lubega are gunning straight for the top of the continent.
“The best target that we have as a mixed double pair is to top Africa,” Mbabazi declared, her eyes firmly fixed on the horizon. “Yes, so that would be the best achievement we could ever get if we get to be Africa’s number one because currently we are number two.”
Mbabazi and Lubega’s latest statement on the court came at the Uganda International Series, where the formidable mixed doubles duo powered their way into the finals. Their path to the championship match featured a hard-earned, straight-games semifinal victory over Algeria’s Mohamed Abdelaziz Ouchefoun and Linda Mazri, closing out the contest at 21-19, 21-19.
The achievement came right on the heels of another podium finish just a week prior at the Kampala International Future Series at the Lugogo Indoor Arena. There, the Ugandan pair claimed a well-earned silver medal, falling in a tight final to Malaysia’s Hafiz Hakimi Hashim and Lim Xuan.
For Mbabazi, these deep tournament runs are as much about mental tactical evolution as they are about physical execution. Reflecting on the shifting momentum typical of elite badminton, she noted how quickly opponents can alter the complexion of a match.
“Things happen. Yes, things happen because sometimes you think you are doing what you’re supposed to do and then when you get to the second set you find that maybe your opponents have come back with a different strategy and you also need to adjust from the first strategy that you had,” Mbabazi explained. “So within that time of trying to adjust with the adjustments, when you find yourself in that kind of situation, by the time you realise most points have already gone, and that’s how the points keep on changing.
To bridge that gap and outmanoeuvre tactical shifts, Mbabazi believes the solution lies in meticulous preparation, increased court time alongside Lubega, and a deeper synchronisation of their respective strengths.
“Well, I would say doubles game is more about training together and knowing your partner’s weaknesses and trying to cover up also the loopholes you have,” she noted. “I believe what you have to take with us is to keep on training with the feather shuttle and trying to cover up and rectify all our weaknesses.”
This partnership has steadily blossomed into one of the region’s most lethal mixed doubles combinations. Before their heroics in Kampala, the duo reached the semi-finals of the Cameroon International in September, where they were halted by India’s Dhruv Rawat and Maneesha Kukkapalli.
Mbabazi’s court prowess has extended far beyond mixed doubles during an intense, back-to-back September and October schedule. At the Kampala International Future Series, she teamed up with Mable Namakoye to collect bronze in the women’s doubles. Meanwhile, in the Uganda International Series women’s singles, she entered as the second seed and advanced cleanly to the quarter-finals following a dominant 21-11, 21-7 rout of Christine Fridah Mbuya.
The relentless multi-discipline workload, juggling singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles, has inevitably taken a heavy toll. Pushing her body to absolute physical limits, Mbabazi acknowledged the critical need for proper physical and medical recovery to navigate the punishing schedule.
Yet, fatigue takes a backseat to ambition as she looks ahead to a jam-packed calendar.
“According to the information we have from our federation, we have a local tournament in the next two weeks from now and then after that we have tournaments in southern Africa, Zambia, Botswana and South Africa,” she revealed. “Hopefully, if the funds are available, we’ll get to play those tournaments and also Algeria and Egypt in December.”
These upcoming fixtures could prove definitive in the pair’s pursuit of continental supremacy and an Olympic spot.