by Olalekan Okusan, ITTF-Africa Press Officer
In an article written by Ioanna Moriatis and published on the university website, Dina Meshref was described as a good ambassador for the institution who brought glory and honour to the school through her skills in table tennis.
“Meshref recently graduated this spring with a bachelors in business administration and earned the Omar Mohsen Athletic Achievement Cup for successfully representing AUC in national and international tournaments. She participated in the women’s singles tournament at the International Table Tennis Federation Africa Cup, held in Agadir, Morocco this June.” Ioanna Moriatis
Success for the university and now 23 years old, Dina Meshref has several years of experience in her locker. In addition to the Women’s World Cup, she has competed in both Olympic Games and the World Championships.
“If I’m able to win any match there, it will help improve my international ranking, since I’ll be competing against players who are ranked much higher than me. One of my dreams is to win a medal at the World Cup. I’s difficult but it’s possible, so I set this as my target each time I qualify.” Dina Meshref
A difficult task lies ahead for Dina Meshref but at the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Sendai, Japan, she did become the first player from Africa to progress through the initial stage and reach the main draw.
“As the daughter of two table tennis champions, Meshref was naturally drawn to the sport. She would often accompany her father to the table tennis hall at El Ahly Club when he served as head of the table tennis team. Prompted by coaches to try table tennis herself, she eventually discovered a passion for it and began playing at a young age. In addition to earning titles as an internationally known professional table tennis player, Meshref maintained a good academic standing at AUC. In the past, Meshref made it to the top 16 slots at the world cup. She hopes that this year she can make it to the top eight. As a professional competitor, she has the opportunity to travel to many countries.” Ioanna Moriatis
The Uncle Pop 2017 Women’s World Cup will be held in Markham, Toronto from Friday 27th to Sunday 29th October.
