By Satish Sekar © Satish Sekar (August 5^th 2021)

Zambia’s First Olympic Medal

Sport unites but opinions divide. There are many great Olympians – there have to be. Zambia is a very interesting case study. The last time Tokyo hosted the Olympic Games was in 1964 and Zambia is a special case and not because I happen to be here again. When the Olympic Games last graced Japan, Northern Rhodesia marched at the Opening Ceremony, but the days of white supremacy in the land of Mosi oa Tunya (‘The Smoke which Thunders,’ as the Victoria Falls should be known,) were numbered.

Zambia finished the Games on the very day that the sunset on the British Empire in the southern African nation. White supremacist Northern Rhodesia was dead. Zambia was born on the day the 18^th Olympiad of the modern era ended. Neither Northern Rhodesia nor Zambia won a medal of any colour in 1964, nor had they under colonialism. It took 20 years from independence for Zambia to break their duck. Light flyweight boxer, Keith Mwila, had the honour of winning Zambia’s first Olympic medal – a bronze in Los Angeles. This was during the age of boycotts.

Zambia’s Athletics Icon

To this day Zambia has only won two Olympic medals – neither of which was gold. Zambia’s only medallists are a boxer, the late Mwila, and Africa’s fastest ever 400m hurdler, Samuel Matete – his best time 47.10 set 30 years ago.

Africa’s fastest 400m hurdler won silver in 1996 (August 1^st) with a time of 47.78 seconds. In the 25 years since Matete won Zambia’s only silver medal his time has dropped in the all-time rankings of fastest times to equal 188^th. He is a double World Champion. His African record was set 30 years ago and was then the second-fastest time ever. His Olympic time is approaching 200 in the all-time list.

However, his African record still commands respect – it was celebrated by his athletics peers in Tokyo. Among those paying tribute was former world record holder Kevin Young whose record had lasted almost thirty years – Norway’s Karsten Warholm broke it as the Olympic Games approached and then shattered his own World Record, becoming the only man to duck under 46 seconds. Matete was there to see history made.

Warholm is simply sensational. Matete’s African record was beaten by four of the finalists in Tokyo’s Olympic Final, albeit on a track designed to produce fast times. Matete’s best is now the equal 18^th fastest time ever run in the event. The winner of that race shares that time with Matete but has beaten it a staggering seven times by Warholm alone.

Nevertheless, Matete remains Africa’s best at the event 30 years after he set the record and 25 after he won Zambia’s only silver medal at the Olympic Games.

Ponga Liwewe is the former General Secretary of the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ). He is a football journalist and administrator in his own right. His father, Dennis, is, without doubt, the great commentator on Zambian football.

Despite his involvement in football his choice of Zambia’s greatest Olympian is not football-related.

“Matete, the only Zambian to win a silver medal,” Liwewe says.

So, who does Zambia’s only silver medallist say is the greatest?