Muzala Samukonga (born 9 December 2002)[2] is a Zambian track and field sprinter who specialises in the 400 metres. In 2022, at the age of 19, he won gold medals at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and African Championships.[3] A flagbearer for Zambia at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Samukonga won the bronze medal in the 400 metres event.
![]() Muzala Samukonga in 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nationality | Zambian | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Lusaka, Zambia | 9 December 2002|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Country | Zambia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Track and field | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event | Sprints | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal bests | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
|
Career
editMuzala Samukonga competed in the 400 metres at the 2021 World Under-20 Championships in Kenya, where he finished in fifth place after with a time of 45.89 s.[4]
In March 2022, he recorded a new personal best in the event of 45.65 s in Botswana.[5] On 10 June, Samukonga won the gold medal in the 400 m at the 2022 African Championships in Mauritius, upsetting Bayapo Ndori in the final with a time of 45.31 s.[6][7] His victory ended a ten-year reign of athletes from Botswana in the event, namely Isaac Makwala and Baboloki Thebe.[7][8] It also qualified him for the 2022 World Athletics Championships the following month in Eugene, Oregon.[9]
Achievements
editAll information taken from World Athletics profile.[2]
Personal bests
editEvent | Time (m:)s | Wind (m/s) | Place | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
200 metres | 20.48 | +0.3 | Lusaka, Zambia | 22 May 2022 | |
400 metres | 43.74 | — | Paris, France | 7 August 2024 | NR |
4 × 400 m relay | 3:04.76 | — | Birmingham, United Kingdom | 7 August 2022 | NR |
International championships results
editYear | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | World U20 Championships | Nairobi, Kenya | 5th | 400 m | 45.89 PB |
2022 | African Championships | Saint Pierre, Mauritius | 1st | 400 m | 45.31 |
2nd | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:05.53 | |||
World Championships | Eugene, OR, United States | 9th (sf) | 400 m | 45.02 PB | |
Commonwealth Games | Birmingham, United Kingdom | 1st | 400 m | 44.66 NR | |
5th | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:04.76 NR | |||
2024 | African Games | Accra, Ghana | 2nd | 400 m | 45.37 |
1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 2:59.12 | |||
African Championships | Douala, Cameroon | 3rd | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:02.56 |
In addition, as of August 2024, Samukonga holds the track record for Gaborone where he clocked 43.91 seconds in April 2023.
References
edit- ^ "Olympic Track And Field Live Updates, Results: Aug. 6 - FloTrack". 2024-08-06. Archived from the original on 2024-08-06. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
- ^ a b "Muzala SAMUKONGA – Athlete Profile". World Athletics. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- ^ "Matt Hudson-Smith misses out on gold as Muzala Samukonga stuns 400m favourite". The Independent. 7 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
- ^ "Race Analysis - 400 Metres Men - Final" (PDF). World Athletics. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
- ^ Chatuvela, Elizabeth (24 May 2022). "Samukonga sprints to new personal time". Zambia Daily Mail. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- ^ Wachira, Lynne (10 June 2022). "African Athletics Championships: Tobi Amusan and Ferdinand Omanyala strike gold again". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- ^ a b Demba, Varore (10 June 2022). "Championnat d'Afrique athlétisme-400m : A 19 ans, Muzala Samukonga met fin à 10 ans de règne botswanais". Sport News Africa (in French). Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- ^ Kaumba, Michael (11 June 2022). "Samukonga Is The New 400 Meters African Champion". ZNBC. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- ^ "Samukonga qualifies to World Athletics Championship to be held in Oregon USA next month, July 15-24, 2022". The Zambian Observer. 13 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.