Deutsche Welle (English edition)
Tokyo Olympics: Picture highlights, Day 5
The Olympics produce some of the best moments in sports. As the world's elite athletes gather in Tokyo 2020, so do the best photographers to capture all of the action. Take a look at the most iconic moments.
Mima Ito, Japan | Table tennis | Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium
Csanad Gemesi, Hungary vs Max Hartung, Germany | Fencing | Makuhari Messe Hall, Chiba
Matti Mattsson, Finland |
Lucio Cinti Luna, Argentina |
Rugby | Tokyo Stadium
Andrew Capobianco & Mike Hixon, USA | Synchronized 3m |
Tokyo Aquatics Centre
Gabriel De Coster, Belgium | Kayak, Slalom | Kasai Canoe Slalom Centre, Tokyo
Megumi Murakami, Japan | Beach Volleyball | Shiokaze Park, Tokyo
Bekzad Nurdauletov, Kazakhstan | Boxing | Ryōgoku Kokugikan, Tokyo
Eri Yamada, Japan | Softball | Yokohama Baseball Stadium
Kathleen Ledecky, USA |
Madina Taimazova, Russia | Judo | Nippon Budōkan, Tokyo
Hugo Boucheron & Matthieu Androdias, France | Double Sculls | Sea Forest Waterway, Tokyo
it was a suitable career choice and would have preferred her to concentrate on her school work.
The remarkable thing is that had Banda chosen differently, she could have been competing in another sport entirely at these Games.
When she was 16, she tried her hand at boxing after being inspired by the success of fellow Zambian Catherine Phiri, a former world champion. Banda took part in five professional fights, winning all five. She was and still is – by her own admission – "very good" in the ring.
But ultimately, football won over.
"My mind was too much into football, so that's why I couldn't
concentrate much into boxing," the striker told the AFP news agency last year. "I said I have to go with the way I'm more comfortable with."
Ronaldo comparison
Comfortable is exactly how she has looked on the pitch in Japan. Creating space for her teammates, gliding past opponents and finishing with precision in the box, Banda has exuded all the confidence of her role model, Cristiano Ronaldo.
In a profile for the Olympics website last year, she drew her own parallels with the Portuguese star's skills and attitude.
"I like the way Cristiano Ronaldo plays," Banda said. "I like his discipline. I have the same strength. I have the confidence
and courage because I know football the way it is. The one who wants it the most is the one who is going to get it."
For Banda, the Tokyo Games may now be over. But based on her performances in Japan and her lofty ambitions, you get the impression they could be the start of something even bigger.