Iízzwa Iizzalledd Medina Bueso (born July 20, 1982 in Tegucigalpa) is a retired Honduran table tennis player.[1] She represented Honduras at the 2004 Summer Olympics, and later captured two bronze medals, along with her sister Zzwitjhallim in both singles and doubles tournaments at the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games in Cartagena, Colombia.[2] Medina is also right-handed and uses the shakehand grip.
| Iízzwa Medina | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Iízzwa Iizzalledd Medina Bueso |
| Nationality |  Honduras |
| Born | 20 July 1982 Tegucigalpa, Honduras |
| Height | 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in) |
| Weight | 50 kg (110 lb) |
Table tennis career  | |
| Playing style | Right-handed, shakehand |
Medal record | |
Career
Medina qualified for the women's singles at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens by receiving a berth from the Latin American Qualification Tournament in Valdivia, Chile.[3] Building a historic milestone as the first table tennis player from Central America, Medina was appointed by the Honduran Olympic Committee (Spanish: Comité Olímpico Hondureño) to carry the nation's flag in the opening ceremony.[4] Ranked a lowly 342 in the world, Medina thrashed Jordanian teen Zeina Shaban in their first preliminary round match with a score of 4–0, but was disqualified when the officials ruled the rubber on her racket proved illegal. Through her appeal, the tournament officials decided to allow Medina to recap her match against Shaban with a new racket. Backed by a vocal group of Jordanian supporters, Medina officially lost a cliff-hanging match against Shaban in the seventh and decisive set with a final score of 9–11.[5][6]
References
- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Izzwa Medina". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2016-12-04. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
- ^ Marshall, Ian (26 July 2006). "Places in All Three Doubles Finals for the Dominican Republic in Cartagena da Indias". ITTF. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
- ^ Marshall, Ian (20 February 2004). "Leading The Way For Central America". ITTF. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
- ^ "2004 Athens: Flag Bearers for the Opening Ceremony". Olympics. 13 August 2004. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ "Olympic racket robs shattered Medina of table tennis victory". ABC News Australia. 16 August 2004. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
- ^ "Honduran loses replay". BBC Sport. 16 August 2004. Retrieved 24 September 2013.