By SHAMAOMA MUSONDA –
SPRINTER Sydney Siame won a bronze medal at the Africa Junior Athletics Championships after finishing third in the 100 metres dash.
The 17-year-old Siame timed 10.77 seconds which marginally fell short of his personal best time of 10.51 seconds at the ongoing championship in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
With expectations high on him following his athletics highlight of winning gold at the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympics in China, Siame is comforted that this championship is an Under-20 event while his Olympics gold was won at an Under-18 tournament.
Siame finished behind winner Nigerian Divine Oduduru who clocked 10.44 seconds and silver medal winner Arthur Gue Cisse of Ivory Coast on 10.63 seconds.
His feat put Zambia on the medal table which is now led by Nigeria who have 13 medals, six of them gold medals.
Godfrey Chama failed to make the 800 metres final after timing a disappointing 1:53.83 minutes which was way above his personal best of 1:51.29 minutes while Chibanda Hanzambe fared badly in the 200 metres heat.
The talented Brian Kasinda got injured in his 100 metres semi-final after finishing second in Heat-One and failed to compete further.
Because of Kasinda’s injury, Zambia, which had qualified to the finals of the 4X100 metres relays failed to start in the final.
But there is still prospect for a medal for  Zambia after Siame stormed the final of the 200 metres race after he finished third in his semi-final heat with an impressive time of 22.02 seconds.
The time of 22.02 seconds was, however, way off his personal best of 21.27seconds achieved in Lusaka at OYDC in April last year and will hope to improve on his time in the final.