For Ganiat, the experience was about more than medals.

“It was painful that he narrowly lost the gold medal to the French boy, but for me it was a good experience for them to compete against some of the best young players in the world,” she said.

“We decided to expose them to tournaments like this so they can gain the valuable experience they will need in the future. It has not been easy combining coaching with caring for them during the trip, but I enjoyed doing it, and I hope we can take them further in the game so they can achieve more than we did in the sport,” she added.

Meanwhile, Mariam also showed promise. The 13-year-old finished in the top 32 of the girls’ U-15 event, though she fell short of advancing to the main draw in the U-17 division.

In January 2025, Junior Aruna, Mariam and their other sister, Amirah, all reached the podium at the João Monteiro Table Tennis Tournament held in Portugal.