KAMPALA, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- Uganda's leading female badminton player Fadilah Shamika Mohamed Rafi said she was proud after finally winning gold at the All Africa Senior Championships.

Ranked 118th in the world, the Ugandan beat South Africa's Johanita Scholtz 21-17, 16-21, 21-19 in a hard-fought final on Sunday at the University of Botswana Indoor Sports Centre in Gaborone, Botswana.

Speaking to Xinhua on Monday, Rafi said the title was a major boost.

"Winning a big title like the All Africa Seniors is very motivating and will motivate me to keep working hard," she said, adding that a month-long training stint in Mauritius had helped her prepare.

Simon Mugabi, executive director of the Uganda Badminton Association (UBA), praised Rafi and said the team had still produced encouraging results despite missing the team events due to travel difficulties.

"Despite the team missing the team events because of travel challenges, we are proud other players also reached the round of 16 in the women and men categories," Mugabi said.

The Ugandan team will now turn its attention to the Uganda International Challenge, scheduled for Feb. 18-22 at Lugogo Indoor Stadium in Kampala. ■