SOME might say that 17 years is a rather young age to start locking horns with a bunch of world class Judokas on the mat.
But Joshua Nyondo, who has emerged as one of the most promising young judo athletes in the country takes the sport seriously and feels up to the challenge to proudly stand up tall for Zambia at the second edition of the Africa Youth Games that start this week in Gaborone, Botswana.
He and female counterpart Mary Kanyembo are the only ones that will be flag bearers for Zambia in the 55 and 44 Kilograms weights. The task may seem challenging to any ordinary person but the duo has all it takes to come back home smiling.
Nyondo has been on top of his game for the past three years, and that top form has earned him an opportunity to represent the country at various international championships.
He doesn’t have to wait any longer to show the whole world what a Zambian Judo maestro he is.
As he steps onto the mat in Gaborone this week, his eyes will be set at outshining his opponents and getting back home as a golden boy.
Despite his young age, there have been several great moments in his career already. From the time his talent was spotted and drafted in the national team in 2011, Nyondo’s career has been spiraling almost only in one direction, upwards.
One of the greatest highlights of his career so far was the winning of a gold medal in his first international competition during the 2012 Zone Six Youth Games that were staged in Lusaka
That saw team Zambia finished top after bagging five gold medals.
Success did not end at that feat as the 17-year-old went on to win a silver medal for Zambia at the 2013 African championship in Algeria although he could not replicate that impressive performance during this year’s edition where he did not mint any medals.
So far he has participated in three international championships for Zambia, and going into the Botswana games, he is a serious contender to get to the podium for the country.
Nyondo has a fine coach in Moola Lipimile who has always had confidence in the 17-year -old’s prowess and tenacity to win matches.
Lipimile believes Nyondo is not the kind of an athlete who goes around and pats himself on the shoulder, but that his determination is easily visible whenever he exercises his ability to read the opponents’ moves during fights.
His intelligence and well calculated moves that stun rivals are some of the qualities that are much sought after in the world of Judo.
“Joshua has been one of the dedicated and skillful members of the Zambian team, he has been consistent with his performances from the time he started representing the country at the international stage.”
“He is a fast learner, who learns from his mistakes and always aims to do better. He is still young and has a bright future in the sport,” says Lipimile.
And now, here comes one of the female rising stars of Zambian Judo. 16-year-old Kanyembo is one of a few female athletes that have broken the barriers in male dominated sports disciplines. She has also excelled and brought glory to the country.
Kanyembo stands among the most highly acclaimed young Zambian athletes, and recently, she lived up to expectations in Tunisia when she showed incredible performances throughout the Africa Cadet Championship winning bronze a medal in the 44 Kilograms category.
Competing under the auspices of Ippon Community Club at the Olympic youth Development Centre (OYDC), she has enjoyed moments of success as her club has dominated national championships.
2014 will be a memorable year for Kanyembo who managed a third slot at the continental championship for the first time in her career and she will look back on the Tunisia outing as the beginning of better moments ahead.
She is aiming higher and has already identified her lofty Judo target at an age when most teenagers are just gaining momentum in various sports disciplines.
The gold medalist has had her sights set on making her Olympics debut, which will absolutely be the culmination of a dream, years in the making.
She stormed the international scene with sparks at the age of 14.
On her first attempt, Kanyembo was one of the five Zambians that scooped gold medals at the Zone Six Youth Games.
The triumph that came when she was in her seventh grade at New Mandevu Basic School signaled the birth of a generation of fearless and determined winners.
Her medal performance in 2012 was a good stepping stone for her, leading into many international tournaments in future.
“She is a super athlete and very talented, she has the potential to achieve better things in judo.
“I have never doubted her capabilities and this is why she will be representing Zambia in Botswana. She has been working very hard in training and she improves each day,” says Lipimile.
The duo’s commitment and talent to the sport of judo has earned them school sponsorships covering fees, uniforms, books and other requirements by the OYDC management.
Kanyembo is doing her ninth grade at New Mandevu Basic School while Nyondo is in his 10th grade at the Kamwala High School in Lusaka.
Both athletes have been camping at the OYDC for the past three months, shaping up for the African championship and the forthcoming Youth Games.
Interesting, they have not abandoned their education. They have been attending classes at their respective schools without interruption while training ahead of the Youth Games.
“I have told the two judokas that we have to go for gold medals in Gaborone, we have excelled at huge tournament and winning anything less than gold will be nothing to us.
“The standards that Zambians have reached in judo are amazing and therefore our stakes are high,” says the coach.
Indeed, the stakes are high; we can only wish the two judokas all the best as they aim to conquer the continent on the mat.
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