Suwilanji Mpondela

Suwilanji Theresa Fotwe Mpondela
Personal information
Birth nameSuwilanji Theresa Fotwe Mpondela
Full nameSuwilanji Theresa Fotwe Mpondela Daka
NationalityZambian
Born (2000-02-07) 7 February 2000 (age 24)
Lusaka, Zambia[1]
Sport
CountryZambia
SportTrack and field
Event100 metres 4 × 100 metres relay

Suwilanji Theresa Fotwe Mpondela-Daka (born 7 February 2000) is a Zambian athlete who specializes in sprinting.[2][3][4] Since 2019, She has been serving the Athletes Commission for the National Olympic Committee of Zambia (NOCZ).[5][6][7] She is married to Zambian footballer Patson Daka.

Early life and education

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Mpondela was born in the Lusaka the capital of Zambia on 7 February 2000. She is the last of five children to Elias Ng’andu Mpondela, the president of Zambia Amateur Athletic Association (ZAAA) from 1999 to date, and Judith Nankamba.[1][2] In 2017, she was awarded a four-year scholarship through the International Olympic Committee (IOC) programme.[8]

Athletics career

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In 2015, Mpondela started training at Olympic Youth Development Centre (OYDC) with focus on training more and reaching her targets for her career, this saw her qualifying for the 100 metres race for the 2015 African Youth Athletics Championships in Mauritius which was her first major competition.[2] She finished first in her qualifying race to move into the semi-finals of which she emerged third to get into the finals.[2] Unfortunately she finished outside the medal brackets placing sixth however she managed to reduce her personal best time of 13:08 seconds and set a new best of 12:81.[2]

Mpondela gained another international experience in 2017 when she reached the semi-finals in the 100-meter run at the U18 World Championships in Nairobi, where she was eliminated with 12.33 seconds.[1] She then on to compete at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Nassau with where she went through to the semifinals and was eliminated after pulling a 12.59 s in the semifinals. The following year she was selected as part of the Zambian women's 4 × 100 metres relay for the 2018 African Championships in Athletics.[9]

That same year in July, she went for the U20 World Championships in Tampere, but did not go past the heats after running a 12.38 s race in heat 4 and in 2019 she was fifth at the Junior African Championships in Abidjan in 12.19 s. Thereafter in 2019 she took part in the Africa Games in Rabat losing out with 12.78 s in the preliminary round. In April 2021, she along with her colleagues set a new national record in Lusaka with the Zambian 4 x 100 meter relay with 43.85 s.[10] However they missed the finals at the World Athletics Relays in Chorzów, Poland after running a 44.81 s in the preliminary round in May 2021.[11][12]

Personal life

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In March 2019, during the launch of the Athletes Commission for the National Olympic Committee of Zambia (NOCZ) at Olympic Youth Development Centre in Lusaka, she was voted in as the inaugural chairperson at the age of 19, making her Africa's youngest elected Athletes Commission Chair.[13][1] In July 2021, she joined the Equitysport Advisory Council whilst doubling also as an ambassador for the international equality-in-sport charity to help raise the profile and advocacy work of the organisation.[14][15]

Her role model is Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.[1] In July 2022, Suwilanji reportedly married association football player Patson Daka at the Lusaka’s Civic Centre.[16]

In November 2022, the couple held their marriage ceremony and celebration with family and friends in Dubai, UAE. [17][18]

Statistics

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Personal best

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Information from World Athletics profile unless otherwise noted.[19]

  • 100 Meter: 11,79 s (+0,7 m/s), 15. May 2021 in Lusaka
  • 200 Meter: 25,52 s (0,0 m/s), 20. June 2018 in Grefrath-Oedt

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Annibali, Alice (20 March 2019). "Suwilanji Mpondela – Africa's youngest newly elected Athletes Commission Chair". www.worldathletics.org. World Athletics. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Suwilanji: Keeping Mpondela name burning – Zambia Daily Mail". www.daily-mail.co.zm. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  3. ^ Munyika, Felix (2020-12-15). "SUWILANJI MPONDELA; Sprinter shares experience of training under COVID-19 restrictions (Q&A)". NOC Zambia. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  4. ^ "BBC World Service - Focus on Africa, Suwilanji Mpondela on track to become Zambia's next sporting star". BBC. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  5. ^ "NOC of Zambia Athletes' Commission hosts athletes' roundtable talk : ANOC". Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  6. ^ Houston, Michael (11 October 2020). "NOC of Zambia Athletes' Commission hosts roundtable discussion". www.insidethegames.biz. Inside the Games. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  7. ^ O’Kane, Patrick (25 November 2019). "NOCZ strategic plan to improve support for Zambian athletes". www.insidethegames.biz. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  8. ^ "IOC awards scholarship to Siame, Mupopo – Zambia Daily Mail". www.daily-mail.co.zm. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  9. ^ Muleya, Mazuba (25 July 2018). "ZAAA picks 12 for continental championship". Zambia: News Diggers!. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  10. ^ "All Comers meet, Lusaka (Zambia) 10-11/04/2021". africathle.com. 11 April 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  11. ^ "4X100 METRES RELAY WOMEN - Summary". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  12. ^ Dewa, Colleta (10 May 2021). "Relay teams shine in Poland". The Southern Times. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  13. ^ Etchells, Daniel (17 March 2019). "National Olympic Committee of Zambia launches Athletes' Commission". www.insidethegames.biz. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  14. ^ "Suwilanji Mpondela joins Equitysport Advisory Council". www.equitysport.org. 19 July 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  15. ^ Tembo, Bright (22 July 2021). "Athlete Suwilanji joins Equitysport advisory council – The Mast Online". Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  16. ^ Orevba, Babajide (2022-07-26). "Zambian football star Patson Daka marries his lover Suwilanji Mpondela". SportsBrief - Sport news. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
  17. ^ "Patson and Suwilanji host wedding in Dubai". Zambian Observer. 23 November 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  18. ^ "Zambian president Hakainde Hichilema congratulates Patson Daka for marrying". Zed Gossip. 23 November 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  19. ^ "Suwilanji Theresa MPONDELA | Profile | World Athletics". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
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