{{Short description|Ugandan badminton player}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}} {{Infobox badminton player | name = Edwin Ekiring | image = Edwin Ekiring.JPG | image_size = | caption = | nickname = Eki | birth_name = | country = Uganda | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1986|12|22}} | birth_place = Nsambya, Uganda | death_date = | death_place = | height = {{convert|1.83|m|ftin|0|abbr=on}} | weight = {{convert|75|kg}} | event = Men's singles | years_active = 2006– | handedness = Right | coach = | highest_ranking = 76 | date_of_highest_ranking = 26 November 2015 | current_ranking = | date_of_current_ranking = | medal_templates = {{MedalSport | Men's badminton}} {{MedalCountry | {{UGA}} }} {{MedalCompetition|All-Africa Games}} {{MedalSilver | 2011 Maputo | Men's singles}} {{MedalBronze | 2007 Algiers | Men's singles}} {{MedalBronze | 2015 Brazzaville | Men's singles}} {{MedalCompetition | African Championships }} {{MedalBronze | 2007 Rose Hill | Men's singles }} {{MedalBronze | 2011 Marrakesh | Men's singles }} | bwfbadminton_id = 52645 | bwf_id = 96FCF986-7957-43E5-BA1E-6F3A2D840504 }}
'''Edwin Ekiring''' (born 22 December 1986)<ref name=SR>{{cite web|title=Edwin Ekiring Biography and Olympic Results|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ek/edwin-ekiring-1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418105115/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ek/edwin-ekiring-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 April 2020|publisher=sports-reference.com|access-date=16 July 2012}}</ref> is a Ugandan badminton player, nicknamed "The Black Pearl".<ref name=SR/> He is {{convert|1.83|m}} tall and weighs {{convert|75|kg}}.<ref name=SR/>
== Career == At the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia, Ekiring competed in the men's singles as well as the mixed team event. In the singles he was defeated in the first round, 17–21, 17–21 by Sri Lankan Dinuka Karunaratne.<ref name=CW06>{{cite web|title=Biography Ekiring, Edwin|url=http://www.melbourne2006.com.au/Participants/Participants?ID=106186|publisher=Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games Corporation|access-date=16 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120423231559/http://melbourne2006.com.au/Participants/Participants?ID=106186|archive-date=23 April 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> In pool B of the mixed team event he won singles matches in fixtures against Jamaica and Kenya but lost matches to players from Australia and New Zealand. Playing with Abraham Wogute, he lost team doubles matches against Jamaica, Australia and New Zealand but beat the pair from Kenya as Uganda were eliminated from the competition at the pool stage.<ref name=CW06/> Ekiring then represented Uganda at the 2007 All-Africa Games and achieved bronze, the country's first medal in badminton in the history of the games.<ref>{{cite web | title=History | url=https://www.badmintonuganda.org/index.php/history | website=Uganda Badminton Association | access-date=19 March 2020 | archive-date=20 March 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200320224357/https://www.badmintonuganda.org/index.php/history | url-status=dead }}</ref>
Ekiring competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, after being given a wildcard into the men's singles by the Badminton World Federation.<ref name=xinhua>{{cite news|title=Ugandan badminton player Ekiring secures Olympic slot|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-06/19/content_8401897.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080812025535/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-06/19/content_8401897.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 August 2008|access-date=16 July 2012|date=19 June 2008|agency=Xinhua News Agency}}</ref> He was the first badminton player to represent Uganda at the Olympics.<ref name=xinhua/> He received a bye into the second round of the competition before losing 5–21, 8–21 to Park Sung-hwan of South Korea.<ref name=SR/>
In 2009, Ekiring was involved in a serious road accident while cycling home from training in the Netherlands that left him with a fractured arm, ribs, ankle and right knee and doctors writing off his chances of ever playing sport again. The 28-year-old spiralled into a deep depression and feared he may never play badminton again but remarkably just eight months later he was back on court.<ref name=DailyTelegraph>{{cite news|title=London 2012 Olympics: Ugandan underdog loses match but wins over crowd at Wembley|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/badminton/9439144/London-2012-Olympics-Ugandan-underdog-loses-match-but-wins-over-crowd-at-Wembley.html|date=30 July 2012|work=Daily Telegraph}}</ref>
At the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India, Ekiring reached the round of 16 in the men's singles event; he beat Sharafuddin Nasheeu of Maldives in the first round before losing two games to nil to Ashton Chen of Singapore.<ref name=commonwealth>{{cite web|title=Commonwealth Games – event results|url=http://www.thecgf.com/games/results.asp|publisher=Commonwealth Games Federation|access-date=16 July 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120914052130/http://www.thecgf.com/games/results.asp|archive-date=14 September 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the men's doubles he competed with Abraham Wogute; the Ugandan duo beat a team from Seychelles in the first round before being eliminated by a pair from Singapore in the round of 16.<ref name=commonwealth/>
In 2012, Ekiring made it to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open. He beat Chetan Anand 21–16, 21–12 in the round of 16 before losing to number one seed Takuma Ueda from Japan 13–21, 12–21.<ref>{{cite news|title=London 2012: Ekiring loses to top US Open seed |url=http://www.ugandasports.org/index.php/other-sports/item/1531-london-2012-ekiring-loses-to-top-us-open-seed |access-date=16 July 2012 |date=7 July 2012 |publisher=Uganda Sports }}{{dead link|date=December 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
Ekiring was selected to compete for Uganda at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the men's singles after qualifying based on his world ranking.<ref>{{cite news|last=Onyango|first=Emma|title=Uganda: Nation's Ekiring Qualifies for Second Olympics|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201205071187.html|access-date=16 July 2012|newspaper=East African Business Week|date=7 May 2012}}</ref> He did not make it past the group stages.<ref name="SR" /> At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, he reached the second round, where he was defeated by R. V. Gurusaidutt, the eventual bronze medal winner.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Glasgow 2014 – Badminton|url = http://g2014results.thecgf.com/PDIS/PDIS_BD.html|website = g2014results.thecgf.com|access-date = 2015-07-14|archive-date = 29 June 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150629102309/http://g2014results.thecgf.com/PDIS/PDIS_BD.html|url-status = dead}}</ref> He also took part in the men's doubles and mixed team events.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Glasgow 2014 – Edwin Ekiring Profile|url = http://g2014results.thecgf.com/athlete/badminton/1034683/e_ekiring.html|website = g2014results.thecgf.com|access-date = 2015-07-14|archive-date = 15 July 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150715020137/http://g2014results.thecgf.com/athlete/badminton/1034683/e_ekiring.html|url-status = dead}}</ref>
He was one of the 14 players selected for the Road to Rio Program, a program that aimed to help African badminton players to compete at the 2016 Olympic Games.
He competed at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast.<ref>{{cite web|title=Participants: Edwin Ekiring |url=https://results.gc2018.com/en/badminton/athlete-profile-n6025870-edwin-ekiring.htm |website=gc2018.com |publisher=Gold Coast 2018 |access-date=13 April 2018}}{{dead link|date=August 2025}}</ref>
== Badminton experience == * 2-Olympic Games 2008 Beijing, China and 2012 London, United Kingdom * 2004–2008 Olympic Training Centre in Saarbrucken, Germany. * 2007–2008 Luxembourg * 2008–2009 Velo-Wateringen, The Hague, The Netherlands. * 2009–2012 BC Amersfoort, Amersfoort, the Netherlands, Eredivisie. * 2012–2013 Solingen, Germany, 2nd Bundesliga * 2013–2017 BC Amersfoort, Amersfoort, the Netherlands, Eredivisie.
== Achievements ==
=== All-Africa Games === ''Men's singles'' {| class="sortable wikitable" style="font-size: 90%" ! Year ! Venue ! Opponent ! Score ! Result |- style="background:#FFB069" | align="center" | 2007 | align="left" | Salle OMS El Biar, Algiers, Algeria | align="left" | {{flagicon|ZAM}} Eli Mambwe | align="left" | | style="text-align:left; background:white" | Bronze '''Bronze''' |- style="background:#FFB069" | align="center" | 2011 | align="left" | Escola Josina Machel, Maputo, Mozambique | align="left" | {{flagicon|RSA}} Jacob Maliekal | align="left" | 15–21, 14–21 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | Silver '''Silver''' |- style="background:#FFB069" | align="center" | 2015 | align="left" | Gymnase Étienne Mongha, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo | align="left" | {{flagicon|RSA}} Prakash Vijayanath | align="left" | 15–21, 20–22 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | Bronze '''Bronze''' |}
=== African Championships === ''Men's singles'' {| class="sortable wikitable" style="font-size: 90%" ! Year ! Venue ! Opponent ! Score ! Result |- style="background:#ECF2FF" | align="center" | 2007 | align="left" | Stadium Badminton Rose Hill, Rose Hill, Mauritius | align="left" | {{flagicon|ALG}} Nabil Lasmari | align="left" | 12–21, 17–21 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | Bronze '''Bronze''' |- style="background:#ECF2FF" | align="center" | 2011 | align="left" | Salle Couverte Zerktouni, Marrakesh, Morocco | align="left" | {{flagicon|NGR}} Jinkam Ifraimu | align="left" | 19–21, 20–22 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | Bronze '''Bronze''' |}
=== BWF International Challenge/Series (7 titles, 7 runners-up) === ''Men's singles'' {| class="sortable wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" ! Year ! Tournament ! Opponent ! Score ! Result |- style="background:#D5D5D5" | align="center" | 2006 | align="left" | Kenya International | align="left" | {{flagicon|WAL}} Richard Vaughan | align="left" | 16–21, 17–21 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{silver2}} '''Runner-up''' |- style="background:#D5D5D5" | align="center" | 2008 | align="left" | Mauritius International | align="left" | {{flagicon|ESP}} Carlos Longo | align="left" | 21–15, 15–21, 21–8 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{gold1}} '''Winner''' |- style="background:#D5D5D5" | align="center" | 2011 | align="left" | Botswana International | align="left" | {{flagicon|ISR}} Misha Zilberman | align="left" | 10–21, 21–16, 22–20 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{gold1}} '''Winner''' |- style="background:#E9E9E9" | align="center" | 2011 | align="left" | South Africa International | align="left" | {{flagicon|POR}} Pedro Martins | align="left" | 15–21, 18–21 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{silver2}} '''Runner-up''' |- style="background:#D5D5D5 | align="center" | 2014 | align="left" | Nigeria International | align="left" | {{flagicon|FRA}} Arnaud Génin | align="left" | 11–4, 11–7, 4–11, 11–9 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{gold1}} '''Winner''' |- style="background:#D5D5D5" | align="center" | 2014 | align="left" | Zambia International | align="left" | {{flagicon|SLO}} Alen Roj | align="left" | 21–18, 21–8 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{gold1}} '''Winner''' |- style="background:#D5D5D5" | align="center" | 2014 | align="left" | South Africa International | align="left" | {{flagicon|AUT}} Luka Wraber | align="left" | 21–16, 17–21, 15–21 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{silver2}} '''Runner-up''' |- style="background:#E9E9E9" | align="center" | 2015 | align="left" | Uganda International | align="left" | {{flagicon|RSA}} Jacob Maliekal | align="left" | 8–21, 21–18, 10–21 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{silver2}} '''Runner-up''' |- style="background:#E9E9E9" | align="center" | 2015 | align="left" | Egypt International | align="left" | {{flagicon|SLO}} Alen Roj | align="left" | 20–22, 25–23, 21–18 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{gold1}} '''Winner''' |- style="background:#E9E9E9" | align="center" | 2015 | align="left" | Morocco International | align="left" | {{flagicon|POR}} Pedro Martins | align="left" | 14–21, 12–21 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{silver2}} '''Runner-up''' |- style="background:#E9E9E9" | align="center" | 2016 | align="left" | Ivory Coast International | align="left" | {{flagicon|NGA}} Gideon Babalola | align="left" | 21–13, 12–21, 21–10 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{gold1}} '''Winner''' |- style="background:#D5D5D5" | align="center" | 2017 | align="left" | Uganda International | align="left" | {{flagicon|MRI}} Julien Paul | align="left" | 19–21, 11–7 (retired) | style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{silver2}} '''Runner-up''' |}
''Men's doubles'' {| class="sortable wikitable" style="font-size: 90%" ! Year ! Tournament ! Partner ! Opponent ! Score ! Result |- style="background:#D5D5D5" | align="center" | 2006 | align="left" | Kenya International | align="left" | {{flagicon|UGA}} Abraham Wogute | align="left" | {{flagicon|KEN}} Himesh Patel<br />{{flagicon|KEN}} Patrick Ruto | align="left" | 21–8, 21–15 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{gold1}} '''Winner''' |- style="background:#D5D5D5" | align="center" | 2015 | align="left" | Uganda International | align="left" | {{flagicon|CZE}} Milan Ludík | align="left" | {{flagicon|CZE}} Pavel Florián<br />{{flagicon|CZE}} Ondřej Kopřiva | align="left" | 11–7, 5–11, 11–10, 6–11, 8–11 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{silver2}} '''Runner-up''' |} : {{Color box|#D8CEF6|border=darkgray}} BWF International Challenge tournament : {{Color box|#D5D5D5|border=darkgray}} BWF International Series tournament : {{Color box|#E9E9E9|border=darkgray}} BWF Future Series tournament
== References == {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ekiring, Edwin}} Category:1983 births Category:Living people Category:People from Kampala District Category:Ugandan male badminton players Category:Badminton players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:Badminton players at the 2012 Summer Olympics Category:Olympic badminton players for Uganda Category:Badminton players at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Category:Badminton players at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Category:Badminton players at the 2014 Commonwealth Games Category:Badminton players at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Category:Commonwealth Games competitors for Uganda Category:Badminton players at the 2007 All-Africa Games Category:Badminton players at the 2011 All-Africa Games Category:Badminton players at the 2015 African Games Category:African Games silver medalists for Uganda Category:African Games bronze medalists for Uganda Category:African Games silver medalists in badminton Category:African Games bronze medalists in badminton Category:Sportspeople from Central Region, Uganda Category:21st-century Ugandan sportsmen