• HISTORY-MAKER…ZAMBIAN judoka, Boas Munyonga (second left) poses with other medalists in the men’s-81kg category at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games in Scotland on Friday night. With Munyonga are Canada’s bronze medal winner, Jonah Burt (left), gold medalist Owen Livesey of England and compatriot, Tom Reed (right) who won silver. Picture by FRANCOIS NEL/GETTY IMAGES EUROPE

By MOSES CHIMFWEMBE –

VETERAN Judoka and administrator Shapa Wakung’uma has congratulated Boas Munyonga for winning a bronze medal for Zambia at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Friday.
Munyonga got the medal after beating Gagnon Krieber of Canada in the bronze final.
Wakung’uma, who is former Zambia Judo Association (ZJA) president, said in an interview yesterday that Munyonga’s victory was a confidence booster for Team Zambia to reap more medals at the Glasgow Games.
He hailed Munyonga for flying the country’s flag higher and that winning the first medal for Zambia was a great achievement.
“Winning the first medal for the country is one of the best things for the Boas (Munyonga) and I think credit goes to the coach Francis Linosi, who worked tirelessly to prepare the team ahead of the Games.
“Judo is one of the sports disciplines in Zambia that have delivered at the big stage and Boas’ hard work has culminated into a medal. But taking into account the performance of the Zambian contingent at the Games, I think this medal will inspire others to do well,” he said.
Wakung’uma said ZJA had done a lot to improve the standard of the sport in the country.
Meanwhile, female judoka Nokutula Banda, who was in Switzerland for a training camp in readiness for the forthcoming Nanjing Youth Olympics in China next Month, was scheduled to arrive in the country yesterday.
While in Switzerland, Banda, who was in the company of national youth coach Moola Lipimile, interacted with top class judokas and International Judo Federation top coaches to help sharpen her skills ahead of the Youth Olympic Games.