By Larry Moko
When Jihan Abdullahi Mohamed first arrived at Cathedral High School, she had the reputation of being an outstanding athlete.
That's because while attending nearby Bernie Custis Secondary School from Grade 9 to 11 she was named Female Athlete of the Year all three years.
During that time she participated in numerous sports.
On Thursday, Abdullahi Mohamed returned to action by winning a 2026 Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic high school badminton championship at the Cathedral gym.
In the girls' singles final, her victory was against Zyannah Romaguerra of the St. Jean de Brébeuf Braves. Both players, however, advance to the Golden Horseshoe Athletic Conference tournament April 23 in Milton.
"I'm a Grade 12-plus," Abdullahi Mohamed said after sweeping all five of her city championship matches, including two over Romaguerra.
Helped by Abdullahi Mohamed's performance, Cathedral won the team championship trophy for a fourth consecutive year.
"She (Abdullahi Mohamed) is one of the best badminton players I've ever coached in our program," Cathedral Gaels coach Jay Stokl said. "She's got an element to her game that's beyond my skill level as a coach. She's kind of teaching me parts of the game.
"I know she trains very hard."
Stokl said her backhand and forehand smash are extremely effective.
In other action to conclude the two-day, five-event competition, Cathedral also took top honours in the mixed doubles category.
That all-Cathedral final went to the brother-sister pair of Josh and Mariam Ramos. They outlasted David Almira and Jada Miniano in three exciting, hard-fought games.
"The Ramos combo is fantastic," the Gaels coach said. "They don't give up on each other. They are so positive. Their skill levels are very high and they train all the time."
The second-place finish also earns Almira and Miniano a berth to GHAC at Bishop Reding Catholic Secondary School.
Said Stokl: "All season our 1, 2 and 3 mixed doubles teams were close and evenly matched. I told them before that if you meet each other in tournaments it's going to come down to one or two points. Just try to minimize mistakes and take advantage when you can."
Owen Ruslim and Mihn Le of Brébeuf placed third in mixed doubles while Cathedral's Justin Pham and Nhi-Tam Dang came fourth.
In girls' singles, third and fourth went to Brébeuf's Katie Mai and Cathedral's Chloe Kines, respectively.
This year's OFSAA tournament is scheduled for April 30-May 2. The high school section will be held at Markham's Pan Am Centre, while open competitors play at Toronto's Albert Campbell Collegiate.
Photos by R.F. (Bob) Butrym, RFB Sport Photography
More photos on HWCDSB Athletics Facebook page
