• 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

HATS off to Boas Munyonga for making history for Zambian judo at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games in Scotland.
Yes, he did it!
After suffering an embarrassing exit from the London 2012 Olympics where he only lasted a record 30 seconds on the tatami mat, Munyonga finally got his act right on Friday night by winning Zambia the first-ever medal at the Commonwealth Games.
In London two years ago, Munyonga, whose stature could have passed for a gold medal winner, was disqualified for holding Japanese judoka, Nakai Takahiro’s leg according to the rules which the Zambian was not yet conversant with.
That particular fight could have passed for a Guiness Book of Records for being the shortest judo contest at the Olympics.
However, there was no such mistake this time around as the 33-year-old judoka, who lost his quarter-final contest to Englishman Livesey Owen, as he went on to defeat Louis Krieber-Gagnon of Canada in the battle for bronze in the -81kg category.
Since 1954 when Zambia first participated at the ‘Club’ Games as Northern Rhodesia, no judoka has ever managed to get any silverware from the quadrennial multi-sports spectacle.
In 2000, former Zambia Judo Association president, Shapa Wakunguma won a bronze but it was at the Commonwealth Judo Championships.
With Munyonga’s bronze at the Glasgow Games, it now means Zambia’s medal tally at the Commonwealth Games since 1954 has increased to 30.
As a matter of fact, Zambia has always been winning medals at the Commonwealth Games except at the 2006 Melbourne and 2010 New Dehli events.
The other times when Zambian athletes did not win anything was when the nation did not attend the 1958, 1962, 1966  and 1986 games, respectively.
It is my hope that Munyonga’s bronze will spur other Zambian athletes still in contention in Glasgow to also aim higher and try to equal the nation’s largest haul of six medals at the 1982 Brisbane Games.
Afterall, it is at the Commonwealth Games where Zambia seem to be doing better on the international stage with an overall haul of 30 medals.
Zambia has only managed two medals from the Olympic Games but swept 18 from the All-Africa Games.
My prayer also is that Zambian athletes will be better prepared for the 2015 Congo Brazzaville All Africa Games and Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games, respectively.
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