Muzala Samukonga (born 9 December 2002)[2] is a Zambian track and field sprinter who specialises in the 400 metres. In 2022, at the age of 19, he won gold medals at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and African Championships.[3] A flagbearer for Zambia at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Samukonga won the bronze medal in the 400 metres event.
_2024.jpg) Samukonga at the 2023 African Games | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nationality | Zambian | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 9 December 2002 Lusaka, Zambia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Zambia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Track and field | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event | Sprints | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal bests | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Biography
editSamukonga competed in the 400 metres at the 2021 World Under-20 Championships in Kenya, where he finished in fifth place after with a time of 45.89 s.[4]
In March 2022, he recorded a new personal best in the event of 45.65 s in Botswana.[5] On 10 June, Samukonga won the gold medal in the 400 m at the 2022 African Championships in Mauritius, upsetting Bayapo Ndori in the final with a time of 45.31 s.[6][7] His victory ended a ten-year reign of athletes from Botswana in the event, namely Isaac Makwala and Baboloki Thebe.[7][8] It also qualified him for the 2022 World Athletics Championships the following month in Eugene, Oregon.[9]
In September 2024, it was announced that he had signed up for the inaugural season of the Michael Johnson founded Grand Slam Track.[10]
On 23 May 2026, Samukonga had a second place finish in 44.04 seconds at the 2026 Xiamen Diamond League.[11]
Achievements
editAll information taken from World Athletics profile.[2]
Personal bests
edit| Event | Time (m:)s | Wind (m/s) | Place | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 metres | 20.23 | +1.7 | Miramar, United States | 2 May 2025 | |
| 400 metres | 43.74 | N/a | Paris, France | 7 August 2024 | NR |
| 4 × 400 m relay | 3:04.76 | N/a | Birmingham, United Kingdom | 7 August 2022 | NR |
Circuit performances
edit| Grand Slam Track results[12] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slam | Race group | Event | Pl. | Time | Prize money |
| 2025 Kingston Slam | Long sprints | 400 m | 5th | 45.27 | US$12,500 |
| 200 m | 7th | 21.24 | |||
| 2025 Miami Slam | Long sprints | 200 m | 3rd | 20.23 | US$25,000 |
| 400 m | 4th | 44.56 | |||
| 2025 Philadelphia Slam | Long sprints | 400 m | 4th | 45.10 | US$20,000 |
| 200 m | 4th | 20.56 | |||
International championships results
edit| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | World U20 Championships | Nairobi, Kenya | 5th | 400 m | 45.89 PB |
| 2022 | African Championships | Saint Pierre, Mauritius | 1st | 400 m | 45.31 |
| 2nd | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:05.53 | |||
| World Championships | Eugene, OR, United States | 9th (sf) | 400 m | 45.02 PB | |
| Commonwealth Games | Birmingham, United Kingdom | 1st | 400 m | 44.66 NR | |
| 5th | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:04.76 NR | |||
| 2024 | African Games | Accra, Ghana | 2nd | 400 m | 45.37 |
| 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 2:59.12 | |||
| African Championships | Douala, Cameroon | 3rd | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:02.56 | |
| Olympic Games | Paris, France | 3rd | 400 m | 43.74 | |
| 8th | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:02.76 | |||
| 2025 | World Championships | Tokyo, Japan | 9th (sf) | 400 m | 44.60 |
| – | 4 × 400 m relay | DQ |
In addition, as of August 2024, Samukonga holds the track record for Gaborone where he clocked 43.91 seconds in April 2023.
References
edit- ↑ "Olympic Track And Field Live Updates, Results: Aug. 6 - FloTrack". 6 August 2024. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
- 1 2 "Muzala SAMUKONGA – Athlete Profile". World Athletics. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- ↑ "Matt Hudson-Smith misses out on gold as Muzala Samukonga stuns 400m favourite". The Independent. 7 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
- ↑ "Race Analysis - 400 Metres Men - Final" (PDF). World Athletics. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
- ↑ Chatuvela, Elizabeth (24 May 2022). "Samukonga sprints to new personal time". Zambia Daily Mail. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- ↑ Wachira, Lynne (10 June 2022). "African Athletics Championships: Tobi Amusan and Ferdinand Omanyala strike gold again". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- 1 2 Demba, Varore (10 June 2022). "Championnat d'Afrique athlétisme-400m : A 19 ans, Muzala Samukonga met fin à 10 ans de règne botswanais". Sport News Africa (in French). Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- ↑ Kaumba, Michael (11 June 2022). "Samukonga Is The New 400 Meters African Champion". ZNBC. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- ↑ "Samukonga qualifies to World Athletics Championship to be held in Oregon USA next month, July 15-24, 2022". The Zambian Observer. 13 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- ↑ "400m Olympic Bronze Medalist Muzala Samukonga Signs With Grand Slam Track". Citius Mag. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- ↑ "Yan and Russell reign supreme in Xiamen with second-best marks in history". World Athletics. 23 May 2026. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
- ↑ "Grand Slam Track Results". Grand Slam Track. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
External links
edit- Muzala Samukonga at World Athletics
- Muzala Samukonga at Olympics.com
- Muzala Samukonga at InterSportStats
- Muzala Samukonga at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games
- Muzala Samukonga at the Accra 2023 African Games (archived)
- Muzala Samukonga on Instagram
