By GWEN CHIPASULA –

SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD Choolwe Hamalambo’s impressive performance during the Zambia-China table tennis friendly match earned him a four-year scholarship to study in China once he completes his secondary school education.
Hamalambo, who graduated to the seniors following his unmatched performance in the juniors where he dominated the national championships a number of times, caught the eye of China Jiangxi Corporation president Xu Guojian.
The budding star is currently in grade 11 and is expected in China once he completes his final grade to study a programme of his choice alongside playing table tennis.
Xu Guojian described Hamalambo as a talented player who possessed some technical skills which impressed during the tournament played at the Olympic Youth Development Centre (OYDC) in Lusaka.
Zambia Table Tennis Association (ZTTA) national coordinator Boyd Kabinda said Hamalambo was also expected to visit China before he could go for his studies together with association president Charles Chenda and deputy director of sports Gibson Munyaule.
The tournament saw Zambia emerge victorious after beating China Jiangxi Corporation 3-0 with top seed Friday Ng’andu beating Xu Guojian 3-1 with scores of 11-6, 8-11, 14-12 and 11-9.
Second seed Hamalambo beat Luo Chenghao 3-0 with scores (11-4), (11-6) and (11-4) as Simasiku Kalaluka overcame Chinese Guojian 3-0 with set scores of 11-5, 11-6 and 12-14.
Hamalambo, the second seed, wrapped up Zambia’s 3-0 win with 11-4, 11-6, 11-4 sets triumph over Luo Chenghao
Guojian, who donated a cheque of K60,000 to the ZTTA and assorted sports kit that included balls, pairs of rubbers, jerseys, rackets and skipping ropes, was given a copper wall watch from the ZTTA and pledged to continue supporting and sponsoring the sport.