ZAMBIAN JUDOKAS LOSE IN BUDAPEST

By GRACE CHAILE LESOETSA ZAMBIAN judokas Mathews Punza and Steven Mung’andu were yesterday eliminated from the on-going World Judo Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

The duo who were both competing in 66 kilograms got eliminated in the second round. Punza lost to Georgi Zantarau of Ukraine while Mung’andu was defeated by a Mexican Hernandez Angel.

However, Zambia hope for a medal at the event is not completely lost as she has Andrew Kaswanga and Rachel Masuku who take to the mat tomorrow.

Zambia Judo Association (ZJA) general secretary Mabvuto Ng’uni described the ejection of Punza and Mung’andu as unfortunate.

“The elimination of the two judokas is unfortunate as we were hoping they could go further the second round. But we have to accept the result and the duo should continue to work harder,” Ng’uni said.

He was optimistic the remaining two judokas will perform well.

He said Kaswanga and Masuku have shown a positive character in training.

“This is a competitive tournament and a judoka needs

hope the two other judokas will produce a good result on Thursday,” he said.

Punza, Mung’andu and Kaswanga have a three years training scholarship under the International Judo Federation to adequately prepare for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.