When my daughter won silver at the IHF Zone VI U-17 games

My daughter TK (2nd R) with her teammates

I love volleyball and my daughter Takondwa (TK) Apoche Lucia Ngulube, has grown to love it too. Last year, she was the youngest player in the Malawi Under-19 volleyball team that participated in the Region 5 Games, in Lilongwe, Malawi. 

Despite having suffered an injury setback, she recovered in time to make the final squad. It was a really proud moment for me, her dad James Nkhwachi Ngulube, her brother Vithero Benjamin Ngulube and our larger family, including my parents Pastor and Mrs Kachapila who watched her fly the Malawi flag in the capital Lilongwe. 

This year, 2023, her school St. Patrick's Academy got a call from the Malawi Handball Association that they were looking for players to join the squad that would represent Malawi in South Africa at the Zone VI girls tournament. The school's sports director Mr Mushaninga immediately suggested my daughter.

 "Her mother [me Chisomo Kachapila Ngulube] encourages her to mix sports and the academics, so I'm sure she'll allow her to go," Mr Mushaninga told the handball official. 

The Handball official had already done her home work when she called me to request if TK could start training with the squad.

TK standing 4th from left

I had reservations, TK had never played handball before.

 "But I'm told that apart from volleyball, she also plays basketball?" asked the official. 

Of course she does and she's also very smart! 

That is how TK ended up with the handball team before eventually making it into the final squad. 

But being a very competitive person, she was not happy with the role of substitute, but I reminded her that she had only been playing with the team for a couple of months. The best she should do was show team spirit. 

The coaches noticed that she's a team player and having featured her for less than five minutes in the previous game, she came in at half time in the next game! 

PROGRESS! 

She also ended up falling in love with the sport; may be falling in love is a bit extreme. But she actually likes it.

 In the end, the Malawi Under-17 team ended up with a silver medal, having lost the final match to Madagascar! 

So my daughter is a proud silver medallist for her country! 

 BELOW IS A STORY I WROTE EARLIER ABOUT THE COMPETITION it was first published on 28/05/2023 

The Malawi Under-17, Under-19 Handball teams have won silver, bronze medals, respectively at the International Handball Federation (IHF) Africa Zone 6 competition in Johannesburg South Africa. 

The Under-17s lost to Madagascar in the final to finish second, while the Under-19s beat Zimbabwe to finish third and claim the bronze medal. Madagascar won in each category. 

Seven youth (Under-17) and just as many junior (Under-19) national teams participated in the Women’s IHF Trophy Zone 6 Africa games held from 23 to 27 May 2023 in Johannesburg, South Africa. 

The winners in each age category have qualified for the Continental Phase of the Women’s IHF Trophy. Six nations – Mozambique, Madagascar, Malawi, South Africa, Seychelles and Zambia – were represented in both competitions. The matches were held at two venues: Orlando Community Hall and Mandeville Indoor Sport Centre.