PARIS 2024: Get closer to Team Zambia

Thirty-two athletes from five different sporting codes will be wearing Zambian colours at Paris 2024 which is an increase from the group that was sent to Tokyo 2020.

All of them will have dreams of emulating Samuel Matete who won a silver medal in the 400m hurdles at Atlanta 1996 and Keith Mwila who won a bronze medal for boxing as a flyweight at Los Angeles 1984.

Here’s a look at the athletes that will represent the nation

ATHLETICS

Muzala Samukonga is the biggest star of Zambian athletics having picked up gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. He holds the national 400m record with a time of 43.91 that he set in Botswana last year.

At the age of 21, it’s still early in his development and he could be one to watch in multiple games in the future.

Samukonga will race individually as well as in the 4x400m relay where he will run with three of Kennedy Luchembe, David Mulenga, Patrick Nyambe and Thomson Mbewe.

The team broke the national record for the relay twice in March on their way to winning gold at the Africa Games in Ghana.

BOXING

Patrick Chinyemba will become a two-time Olympian when he competes in the flyweight division at Paris 2024. The 23-year-old won bronze at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and gold in the 2023 African Games

Chinyemba is Zambia’s best hope of winning an Olympic boxing medal in 40 years.

Also competing in the ring is Magret Tembo who is a former African boxing champion and she will make history by becoming the first woman to represent Zambia in the sport at the Olympics.

FOOTBALL

After making their debut at Tokyo 2020, the Copper Queens will grace the Olympic stage again as a result of coming through a tough qualifying campaign that included wins against Ghana and Morocco.

There is plenty of reason to be optimistic about the future of Zambian women’s football. They earned their best ever WAFCON finish of third in 2022 and made their first ever appearance at the Fifa World Cup last year that included a memorable win against Costa Rica.

Barbra Banda was the undoubted star of the show in Tokyo as she became the first player to score back-to-back hat-tricks in a single Olympic Games. She was also the heroine of the qualifying campaign with two goals that set up a memorable come-from-behind win against Morocco.

In Paris, they are in a daunting group along with USA, Germany and Australia. The challenge will be tough, but the effort and passion will be high.

JUDO

Simon Zulu will be Zambia’s sole Judo representative in Paris. The police sergeant competes in the -60kg division and says he is targeting a medal in his event.

SWIMMING

There will be two representatives in the pool for Zambia. Mia Phiri will compete in the women’s 50m freestyle and Damien Shamambo wil race in the men’s version of the same event.