Sports Day 2007

Posted Aug 03, 2007

Olympian and 1991 World 400 metres Hurdles champion, Samuel Matete runs for the Chengelo staff team in the Relay!

We were privileged to have had in attendance at Sports Day the Olympian and 1991 World 400 metres Hurdles champion, Samuel Matete. His presence obviously inspired the students despite the obvious lack of athletes in many track and field events. Those who competed worked hard and 22 records were broken – which was a record itself for any Sports Day by 27 students!! The individual records broken were as follows:

Debra Musonda - Junior Girls 1500
Muwana Lisulu - Junior Boys 100m & Triple Jump;
Lubanji Maseka - Junior Girls Long Jump;
Teza Chituta - Intermediate Boys 400m;
Wezi Mutambo - Intermediate Girls 800m;
Garth Lourens - Intermediate Boys Discus;
Bala Banda - Intermediate Girls Shot Put;
Mubanga Kombe - Intermediate Boys Long Jump;
Deborah Yambala - Senior Girls 100m & 200m;
Nawa Simakaloyi - Intermediate Boys Triple Jump;
Melanie Bruce-Miller - Senior Girls 800m & 1500m;
Joel Pepala - Senior Boys 100m;
Chisala Chamaombe - Senior Girls Long Jump;
Aaron Mulenga - Senior Boys 1500m

In addition, 4 x 100-metre relay records were broken:
Debra Musonda, Lubanji Maseka, Grace Nonde and Ruth Coxe - Junior Girls;
Timothy Tembo, Nawa Simakaloyi, Teza Chituta and Danny Simbeye - Intermediate Boys;
Mawini Chanika, Gloria Chikoti, Kasuba Sikamo and Taonga Chanika - Senior Girls;
Musa Milupi, Vladislav Gordic, Luito Muchimba and Kalimukwa Mubita - Senior Boys.

These facts do not tell half the story. Emmanuel Chikoti threw the discus with a distance of 35.30 metres in the intermediate boys event, beating the old record by over 3 metres – only to see Garth then beat his throw by 10 cms to establish a new record. Joel Pepala missed out on a new senior boys 200 metres record by 0.02 secs.

Chansa Nkhoma missed the senior girls javelin record by 25 cms and Lenganji Limbambala missed out on a new senior girls discus record by just 22cms. Esther Mulenga ran the junior girls 200 metres in 30.82 secs – an astonishing time for a Form 1 girl, and a very busy Muwana Lisulu ran 25.75 secs for the junior boys 200 metres, missing the record by 0.3 secs. Richard Whittemore ran the fastest 400 metres in a Sports Day since 1998 (55.35 secs) and Moses Imani (Form 1) ran the junior boys 800 metres in 2m 40.60 secs (which was just 5 secs outside the record) after winning the 1500 metres some 2 hours beforehand!

To have these performances from such a wonderful bunch of students on one morning is nothing short of amazing! My congratulations to them all and I will leave Chengelo a very happy man! Thank you so much.

S.Banister
August 2007