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Tadious Manyepo  in LILONGWE, Malawi

TEAM Zimbabwe bagged their 13th medal when taekwondo star Clarity Ndhlovu grabbed silver in the girls Under 55kg category at the Bingu Wa Mutharika Convention Centre here yesterday.

The 17-year-old Nkayi High School pupil won the country’s first silver medal to add on to the 12 bronzes which came from her  taekwondo colleagues and gymnastics.

The country has contestants in 11 sport codes including athletics, basketball, boxing, gymnastics, taekwondo, judo, swimming, netball, tennis, volleyball and athletics VI.

And the athletes are expected to haul more medals as the meet progresses with  prospects high in netball, tennis, swimming and volleyball, where they are giving a good account of themselves.

Taekwondo and gymnastics have already finished with Zimbabwe winning 10 bronze medals and a silver in the former and two bronze medals in the latter.

Ndhlovu was good value for her silver medal, cruising past five opponents before narrowly losing to Mamotseare Ntute of Lesotho in the final.

She was ecstatic after coming second.

“I am very happy for having scooped silver in my category. I am also happy for Team Zimbabwe for continuing to win medals. That’s why we are here, we need to do even more to win more medals which I am sure we will,” she said.

“I would like to salute my coach Athnie Chifamba for the work done. I am praying we continue to win as Team Zimbabwe because we need to go back home with more medals than any other country.”

Deputy Chef de Mission for Team Zimbabwe, Simbarashe Gochera, said he was expecting more from Team Zimbabwe.

“If I can tell you, we are not very strong in taekwondo because we are just starting and for us to have won so many medals in a sport we don’t usually dominate is awesome.

“I would like to salute the athletes for throwing everything in the fight and those from gymnastics as well,” said Gochera.

“We are looking forward to winning more medals as we go. We are gunning for gold medals in several sport codes and categories.

“We keep our fingers crossed and we believe we will be able to do more.

“Our athletes are giving their all and we are fully behind them.”

Meanwhile, the Under-20 netball team, the Young Gems, notched their second win in as many games when they thumped Botswana 52-27.

The Under-20 netball team are one of the favourites to scoop gold in a game being contested for by six countries — Malawi, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

The Simbarashe Mlambo-coached charges play the hosts Malawi today and victory will leave them in a good position going into the last two games against Namibia and South Africa.

Zimbabwe dominated play from the first quarter and never game their opponents any breathing space, leading from start to finish.

In tennis, Sasha Chimedza, Tadiwa Mauchi, Shayne Tapera and Tanyaradzwa Midzi all progressed to the quarter-finals which will be played between tomorrow and Thursday.

Boxers open their campaigns today with highly-rated Glorious Moyo taking on Mthi Okuhle of South Africa in the bantamweight class while Joel Mangombe takes on Tom Kabunda of Zambia in a flyweight battle.

Kelvin Taliana faces off against Zambia’s Mwengo Mwale with Tinashe Matendere battling Malawi’s Wilson Phiri, while Todiwa Dzivanene fights Merody Ngona of Zambia.

Martin Zvibondo will fight Sepaike Mmolopi of Botswana in the last fight of the day.