ZAMBIA’s 16 year old William Chinzewe has minted gold in the Rapids competition of the ongoing Junior World Draughts Championships in Bulgaria.
Speaking in an interview, Tuesday, the youngster described his achievement as sweet and a dream come true.
Chinzewe amassed a total of 12 points from seven rounds of the U-17 Competition that has over 100 participants.
The reigning national champion was dominant from the first round winning six of the seven rounds, the most a player has ever won in his age category.
“I’m very excited to win a gold medal in the rapids competition and it’s a dream come true for me. The competition is tough but I gave my best and it paid off. This medal is for everyone home and all those that believe in me. This is Zambia’s medal and I will continue to do my best whenever given an opportunity to represent mother Zambia,” Chinzewe said.
Chinzewe beat opponents from Germany, Russia and Moldova.
He said hard work and determination is what has kept him confident and focused in delivering results for Zambia.
“Draught is a good game that helps one think fast and be able to look at things from different angles. The gold medal has given me confidence and I hope to build on my performance going forward. I’m still young but the exposure I have gotten from the games is enough and will help me in future engagements,” said Chinzewe.
Zambia’s other representative at the event Elijah Chanda finished fifth in the rapids of the U-20 category. Chanda said he was not disappointed with his performance as he gave his all.
“The category was competitive. I gave my best but my best could only see me finish fifth. I learnt a lot and I am not disappointed with my performance. My target was to win a gold medal but it didn’t happen, the race is still on,” said Chanda.