GLASGOW, Scotland — Uganda’s women’s 3×3 basketball team, the Gazelles, made history on Thursday by winning the country’s first-ever Commonwealth Games silver medal in the discipline after finishing runners-up to Australia in the final of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Australia claimed the gold medal with a 21-11 victory over Uganda in the championship match, capping an impressive tournament in which the Gazelles emerged as one of the standout teams.
The silver medal is Uganda’s best-ever finish in women’s 3×3 basketball at the Commonwealth Games and comes during the sport’s debut appearance on the Games programme.
The quartet of Melissa Akullu, Jane Asinde, Jamila Nansikombi and Perus Nyamwenge delivered a memorable campaign, defeating Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, Kenya, Tonga and New Zealand on their way to the final before falling to a strong Australian side that had also beaten Uganda during the group stage.
The National Council of Sports (NCS) hailed the achievement as a historic milestone for Ugandan basketball.
“Silver for Gazelles as Australians take the gold,” NCS said in a statement, congratulating the team on becoming the first Ugandan women’s side to win a Commonwealth Games medal in 3×3 basketball.
NCS noted that although Australia proved too strong in the final, the Gazelles had captured the hearts of fans at Glasgow’s Scottish Events Campus through determined and entertaining performances throughout the competition.
The silver medal is Uganda’s second silver medal of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games after para swimmer Husnah Kukundakwe opened the country’s medal account earlier in the week.
Uganda Basketball Federation officials described the performance as another significant step in the growth of basketball in the country, with the Gazelles demonstrating that Uganda can compete with the world’s best in the fast-growing 3×3 format.
Australia’s victory underlined its status as one of the leading nations in international 3×3 basketball, but Uganda’s run to the final established the East African nation as one of the emerging forces in the women’s game.
The achievement adds another memorable chapter to Uganda’s sporting success at the Glasgow Games, following medals in athletics and para swimming, and further highlights the country’s growing competitiveness beyond its traditional strengths in long-distance running.
For the Gazelles, the historic silver medal is expected to provide fresh momentum for the continued development of women’s basketball in Uganda and inspire a new generation of players aiming to compete on the international stage.