Muzala Samukonga Falls Short in Semifinals of World Athletics Championships

Zambian sprinter Muzala Samukonga's journey at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo came to an end in the semifinals. Samukonga finished third in his heat with a time of 44.60 seconds, narrowly missing the automatic qualification mark for the final.

Despite his impressive performance, Samukonga was edged out by faster competitors. Bayapo Ndori from Botswana took the top spot with a time of 44.21 seconds, followed by Yuki Joseph Nakajima from Japan with 44.53 seconds. The qualification standard for the men's 400m event was set at 44.85 seconds, which Samukonga failed to meet

Samukonga's performance in the championships was highly anticipated, with many believing he had the potential to bring home a medal for Zambia. His past achievements, including a gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, had set high expectations for his performance in Tokyo

The 2025 World Athletics Championships will conclude on September 21, with the men's 400m final scheduled to take place on September 18. Zambia's athletics team will be looking forward to future competitions, where Samukonga can showcase his skills and potentially bring home a medal for his country.