DUBAI: When Maria Chedid and Kamar Dandal celebrated with bronze medals around their necks in Nagoya on Sunday, it marked the end of a memorable Asian Games campaign for the Lebanese pair and another success for a partnership built in unusual circumstances. For most of the year, thousands of kilometers separate them. Chedid has lived in France for the past three years, where she completed a master’s degree and now works, while Dandal remains in Lebanon. They train separately, exchange updates over WhatsApp and often have only a couple of days together before competition to rediscover their rhythm. It was enough in Japan. Chedid and Dandal reached the women’s doubles semifinals at Aichi-Nagoya 2026 to secure bronze, adding an Asian Games medal to the one they won at the 2025 Teqball World Championships in Romania. “We have played together since 2022 and we did many tournaments and the World Cup together, so we understand each other as players,” Chedid told Arab News. Their connection began in another sport. The pair played football together, first in Tripoli and later in Beirut, before becoming teqball partners as the emerging sport began to establish itself in Lebanon. Introduced to the country in 2020, teqball has developed quickly, with Lebanon climbing as high as seventh in the world rankings in 2022 and consistently remaining among the world’s top 25 since 2021. Before Chedid relocated to France, she and Dandal were able to train together regularly. The move changed the way they prepared, with each now working on her game separately while staying in close contact. “We speak to each other on WhatsApp. I might be working on defense or working on offence, so we keep each other updated,” Chedid said. “We don’t have the money to fly just to train in person.” Returning home regularly is difficult too. Between her full-time job and tournament schedule, Chedid has not been back to Lebanon for more than a year, with any visit also a precious opportunity to spend time with family and friends. It means the few days before a tournament take on added importance. “Before the competition, we arrive two days before and we train during that period,” she said. “Other teams usually train regularly, but if we had the chance, we would get better results.” Despite those limitations, the results have followed. Their bronze at the 2025 World Championships in Romania convinced the pair that another podium was within reach when they travelled to Japan. “As women’s doubles, we always aspire to get to the podium because we are always playing well,” Chedid said. “In the World Championships in Romania we won a medal, so we said if we got a medal at the Worlds, with more countries, we should get one in Asia. We did it and we are so proud.” Thailand’s Jutatip Kuntatong and Suphawadi Wongkhamchan eventually took the women’s doubles gold, defeating Myanmar’s Hsu Mon Aung and Phyu Phyu Than in the final, while Chedid and Dandal shared bronze with Cambodia’s Sophornraksmey Yorn and Sreymeas Mey. For Chedid, however, standing on the podium in Japan carried particular meaning after three years living away from home. “Personally, because I stay outside Lebanon, I want to bring something for Lebanon from me and I want to make Lebanon proud,” she said. There was more Lebanese success to celebrate, with the men’s doubles pair also securing silver and adding to an impressive showing for the country in the sport. “We play a sport that is not very popular, but we want to make it more popular,” Chedid added. “I’m proud of the men from Lebanon also for getting a medal.” For Chedid, those results are all the more satisfying given the financial realities facing athletes from Lebanon compared with some of their international rivals. “In Lebanon, we don’t have as much funding as other countries, but with the little we have, we have done a lot, and we are proud,” she said. She hopes their success in Japan can now encourage more athletes, particularly those coming from the football background she shares with Dandal, to discover teqball. “I encourage people who play football and futsal to play this game because it is getting a lot of traction,” she said. There will be little time to dwell on the bronze medal. Chedid’s attention now turns to Saudi Arabia for the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Riyadh from Dec. 11 to 21, where another opportunity to represent Lebanon awaits.