Tawi-Tawi lass is soft tennis gold medalist in SEAG

Fatima Ayesha Amirul (R) with teammates in the Philippine women’s soft tennis team. Photo courtesy of the Philippine Sports Commission

MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews / 11 May) — An athlete from Tawi-Tawi is part of the women’s soft tennis team that won the gold medal Tuesday in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Fatima Ayesha Amirul, a native of Bongao town, and her entire team received a congratulatory message from the provincial government of Tawi-Tawi for their feat.

The women’s squad composed of Amirul, Christy Sañosa, Princess Catindig, Bien Bejosano, Noelle Mañalac, and Noelle Zoleta swept Indonesia in the final, 5-4, 4-2, 5-0, to give the Philippines its 25th gold medal in the biennial sports event.

In a post on its Facebook page on Wednesday, the Tawi-Tawi provincial government said the victory brought “pride and honor to our province and the entire nation.”

Mañalac and Catindig also won gold in women’s doubles held earlier. 

Meanwhile, the men’s team settled for a bronze after losing to Thailand in the semifinals. (H. Marcos C. Mordeno/MindaNews)