Zambia at the 2012 Summer Olympics

Zambia at the 2012 Summer Olympics
IOC code	ZAM
NOC	National Olympic Committee of Zambia
Website	www.nocz.co.zm
in London
Competitors	7 in 4 sports
Flag bearer	Prince Mumba
Medals	Gold Silver Bronze Total 0 0 0 0
Summer Olympics appearances
1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016
Other related appearances
Rhodesia (1960)

Zambia competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, which was held from 27 July to 12 August 2012. The country's participation at London marked its twelfth appearance in the Summer Olympics since its début at the 1964 Summer Olympics. The delegation consisted of seven competitors; three track and field athletes Gerald Phiri, Prince Mumba and Chauzje Choosha, one each in Boxing and Judo (Gilbert Choombe and Boas Munyonga) and two swimmers, Zane Jordan and Jade Ashleigh Howard. Phiri, Mumba, Choombe and Munyonga had qualified by meeting the standards in their respective sports, while Choosha, Jordan and Howard made the Games through wildcard places. Mumba was selected as the flag bearer for the opening and closing ceremonies.

Phiri received a bye in the men's 100 metres and was eliminated at the first round stage and recorded his best time of the 2012 athletic season. Mumba and Choosha were both eliminated from the competition in the parliamentary heats, and Choombe was defeated by Australian Jeff Horn in Boxing's round of 32. Munyonga was disqualified in his round of 32 match against Takahiro Nakai by holding his opponent's leg, a move he later regretted. Jordan failed to advance beyond the heats of the men's 100 metre backstroke despite recording a new personal best, while his female counterpart Howard was also eliminated in the same stage in the women's 100 metre freestyle.

Background

Zambia participated in twelve Olympic Games between its début at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan as Northern Rhodesia and the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England, with the exception of the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, because of a boycott relating to the New Zealand national rugby union team touring South Africa. The highest number of athletes sent by Zambia to a summer Games is 37 to the 1980 Olympics in the Soviet Union. Two Zambian athletes (Keith Mwila and Samuel Matete) have won medals at the Olympic Games. Zambia participated in the Summer Olympics from 27 July to 12 August 2012. The Zambia National Olympic Committee (NOC) selected three track and field athletes via qualification standards. An NOC would be able to enter up to three qualified athletes in each individual event as long as each athlete met the "A" standard, or one athlete per event if they met the "B" standard.

The seven athletes that were selected to compete in the London Games were Gerald Phiri in the men's 100 metres, Prince Mumba in the men's 800 metres and Chauzje Choosha in the women's 100 metres. Choosha qualified via a wildcard and replaced long-distance runner Tonny Wamulwa who withdrew before the opening of the Games because of injuries sustained in a road traffic accident on 9 July. Swimmers Zane Jordan and Jade Ashleigh Howard qualified for the Games via a universality place awarded by FINA as their best times of 59.33 and one minute and 1.24 seconds were not within the standard entry time. Judo Boas Munyonga qualified for the men's 81 kg event after being awarded an additional place in the additional places category for the African continent by the International Judo Federation. Boxer Gilbert Choombe qualified for the men's light welterweight following the conclusion of the AIBA African Olympic Qualifying Event.

Zambia's sports minister Chishimba Kambwili stated that the country's national government did not expect their athletes to win any medals at the London Games but would help build a team for future games and expose them to international media. The country's NOC secretary general Hazel Kennedy said it was "comforting" that the team sent athletes who had qualified on merit rather than a majority on wildcards. The Daily Telegraph reported that Mumba and Phiri were Zambia's best chances of achieving success. The team elected to train at the Palace of Art Centre for Sport Excellence and Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow for two weeks. Mumba was the flag bearer for both the opening and closing ceremonies. The Zambian team's delegation was led by the country's NOC president Gabriel Muyinda.

Athletics

Main article: Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics

The London Olympic Stadium, where Phiri, Mumba, Choosha and competed in track and field events.

Gerald Phiri was competing in his first Olympic Games at the age of 23. He qualified for the Games, as his best time of 10.06 econds in the men's 100 metres, set at the 2011 Texas Relays, exceeded the "A" standard qualifying entry time. In preparation for the event, he trained with his coach in the Netherlands while adapting to a different climate and a new time zone. Phiri received a bye to advance beyond the preliminary round. He competed in the first heat of the first round on 4 August, finishing third out of eight athletes with a time of 10:16 seconds. The result meant he advanced into the semi-finals of the event. He ranked ahead of Jaysuma Saidy Ndure of Norway (10.28 seconds) in a heat led by eventual fourth-place overall finisher Tyson Gay (10.08 seconds).

In the semi-finals on 5 August, Phiri achieved a fifth-place finish in heat two with a time of 10:11 seconds, which was his best of the 2012 athletic season. He finished in front of Daniel Bailey from Antigua and Barbuda (10.12 seconds) in a heat won by eventual gold medallist Usain Bolt of Jamaica (9.87 seconds). Overall he finished 15th out of 75th athletes overall and was unable to progress further because his time was 0.09 seconds slower than the slowest competitor who advanced to the first round. After the event Phiri said he placed a large amount of pressure onto himself but was not good enough in the event. Nevertheless, he thanked the people who supported him.

Prince Mumba was the oldest man to compete in the athletics for Zambia at age 27. He had previously competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Mumba qualified for the London Games, as his best time of one minute and 46.14 seconds met the "B" standard qualifying for his event, the 800 metres. Mumba said his aim was to reach the finals of the 800 metres and that he believed and had faith in himself. He competed in the first round of the men's 800 metres on 6 August and was drawn in the sixth heat. Mumba finished seventh with a time of one minute and 49.07 seconds. He ranked ahead of Kyrgyzstan's Erzhan Askarov (one minute and 59.56 seconds) in a heat led by Mohammed Aman of Ethiopia (one minute and 47.34 seconds). Mumba finished 42nd out of 52 athletes overall, and was 1.63 seconds behind the slowest competitor who progressed into the first round and was eliminated from the competition. After his elimination Mumba revealed that he been experiencing chest pain and coughing but did not report it as he felt his condition would improve. He stated that another factor was himself going beyond his capabilities and how quickly the event started.

At the age of 19, Chauzje Choosha made her first appearance in the Olympic Games. She took part in the women's 100 meters in the preliminary round on 3 August and was drawn in heat one, finishing fourth out of eight athletes, with a time of 12:29 seconds. As of 2016, the time is her personal best. She ranked ahead of Afa Ismail from the Maldivies (12.52 seconds) and Jordan's Rima Taha (12.66 seconds) in a heat led by Feta Ahamada of the Comoros (11.81 seconds). Overall she finished 57th out of 78 competitors, and did not advance into the first round because her fastest time was 0.05 seconds slower than the slowest athlete who progressed.

Key

• Note–Ranks given for track events are within the athlete's heat only
• Q = Qualified for the next round
• q = Qualified for the next round as a fastest loser or, in field events, by position without achieving the qualifying target
• N/A = Round not applicable for the event
• Bye = Athlete not required to compete in round

Men

Athlete	Event	Heat		Quarterfinal		Semifinal		Final
		Result	Rank	Result	Rank	Result	Rank	Result	Rank
Gerald Phiri	100 m	Bye		10.16	3 Q	10.11	5	Did not advance
Prince Mumba	800 m	1:49.07	7	N/A		Did not advance

Women

Athlete	Event	Heat		Quarterfinal		Semifinal		Final
		Result	Rank	Result	Rank	Result	Rank	Result	Rank
Chauzje Choosha	100 m	12.29	4	Did not advance

Boxing

Main article: Boxing at the 2012 Summer Olympics

ExCeL London where Choombe took part in his boxing match against Jeff Horn.

Zambia qualified one boxer for the Olympic boxing tournament. Gilbert Choombe qualified for the light welterweight class at the AIBA African Olympic Qualifying Event Casablanca. He had not participated in any previous Olympic Games and was the youngest male athlete on the Zambia Olympic team, at age 20. Choombe trained in Cardiff where it was affected by rain and cold weather and later adapted to hot weather conditions in London. He stated that his objective was to claim the gold medal and make Zambia proud. Choombe began the contest in the round of 32 against Australia's Jeff Horn at ExCeL London on 31 July. Horn began strongly by performing quick shots at Choombe who attempted to react by throwing back some punches but missed most of them. Horn clinched the first round 6–1, and took the second round by 4–2 when Choombe made his guard vulnerable to attack. Horn attacked consistently and by selecting his angles, he defeated Choombe 19–5. After the fight Choombe described it as "tough" and that he had a feeling of securing the victory but knew his opponment was stronger.

Men

Athlete	Event	Round of 32	Round of 16	Quarterfinals	Semifinals	Final
		Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Rank
Gilbert Choombe	Light welterweight	[[File:Template:Country flag IOC alias AUS|22x20px|border|alt=|link=]] Horn ([[Template:Country IOC alias AUS at the 2012 Summer Olympics|AUS]]) L 5–19	Did not advance

Judo

Main article: Judo at the 2012 Summer Olympics

Boas Munyonga represented Zambia in men's judo. He qualified by being awarded an additional place in the additional places category for the African continent by the International Judo Federation. He participated in the men's middleweight class, which includes athletes under 90 kilograms in weight. Munyonga was Zambia's oldest athlete at the London Olympic Games, at age 31, and was taking part in his first Olympic Games. He said that he would do his best in the event. Munyonga faced Takahiro Nakai of Japan on 31 July in the round of 32. When the ball rang to signal the start of the match, Munyonga held Nakai by the leg and placed him onto the corners of the mat. The primary umpire signalled the boxers to face each other and disqualified Munyonga and declared Nakai the match's winner. Munyonga stated that he regretted the move and that he had forgotten about a rule which stated the leg was not allowed to be held by another competitor.

Athlete	Event	Round of 64	Round of 32	Round of 16	Quarterfinals	Semifinals	Repechage	Final / BM
		Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Rank
Boas Munyonga	Men's −81 kg	Bye	[[File:Template:Country flag IOC alias JPN|22x20px|border|alt=|link=]] Nakai ([[Template:Country IOC alias JPN at the 2012 Summer Olympics|JPN]]) L 0000–1000	Did not advance

Swimming

Main article: Swimming at the 2012 Summer Olympics

The London Aquatics Centre where Jordan and Howard competed in swimming events.

Zane Jordan was the only member of the Zambia team to make his second appearance at the Olympic Games, having previously competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He qualified after receiving a universality place from FINA as his best time of 59.33 seconds was not within the "A" and "B" standard entry times. Jordan was drawn in first heat of the men's 100 metre backstroke which was held on 29 July, finishing third (and last) with a time of 58.47 seconds. He recorded a new personal best time which was 2.5 seconds faster. Jordan finished behind heat winner Bradley Ally of Barbados (56.27 seconds) and second-placed finisher Sri Lanka's Heshan Unamboowe (57.94 seconds). He finished 43rd (and last) of all swimmers who competed, and did not advance to the later stages of the 100 metres backstroke. Jordan's performance was praised by his coach Gajan Sothylingam who described it as "extremely good" and he felt that it showed that the swimmer was improving on his performance.

Jade Ashleigh Howard was the youngest person to represent Zambia at the London Olympic Games at the age of 17. She was taking part in her first Olympic Games. Like Jordan, Howard qualified after receiving a universality place from FINA as her fastest time of one minute and 1.24 seconds had been outside the "A" and "B" standard Olympic entry times. She stated that her objective to record a new personal best time and that she was not inimitated. Howard took part in heat four of the women's 100 metre freestyle, which was held on 1 August, finishing first out of seven swimmers, with a time of 59.35 seconds. She ranked ahead of Bayan Jumah of Syria (59.78 seconds) and Paraguay's Karen Riveros Schulz (59.86 seconds). Despite her victory, she finished 39th out of 48 swimmers who competed, and did not advance to the later stages of the women's 100 metre freestyle. Nevertheless, she achieved her objective of setting a new personal best time, and became the first Zambian swimmer to set a fastest time under one minute.

Men

Athlete	Event	Heat		Semifinal		Final
		Time	Rank	Time	Rank	Time	Rank
Zane Jordan	100 m backstroke	58.47	43	Did not advance

Women

Athlete	Event	Heat		Semifinal		Final
		Time	Rank	Time	Rank	Time	Rank
Jade Ashleigh Howard	100 m freestyle	59.35	39	Did not advance

See also

• Zambia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics