14-YEAR-OLD TEULINGS HOCKEY ATHLETE AMUSED WITH HER PARTICIPATION AT PARIS 2024 OLYMPIC QUALIFIERS GAMES IN SA

14-YEAR-OLD TEULINGS HOCKEY ATHLETE AMUSED WITH HER PARTICIPATION AT PARIS 2024 OLYMPIC QUALIFIERS GAMES IN SA

Memory Chaya is a young talented hockey player who plays for Zambezi Hockey Club and is living her dream of competing in high-level competitions both local and international.

Born on 25 September 2009, Chaya started her sports career at the OYDC Zambia – Sports Development Centre through the Teulings Youth Sports Challenge a youthful league which engages teams and athletes below the age of 20 years. She started playing the sport at the age of eight years and is now living her wonderful dream of competing in major games.

She recently participated in the “African Hockey Road to Paris 2024” staged in Pretoria, South Africa after she was called to the female national team for the games which were used as qualifiers for the Paris 2024 Olympic games.

Other than competing in these games she has also travelled to Zimbabwe where her team once took part in the 2023 Schools Select competition.

With all the wonderful experience she says “I feel happy taking part in this competition. It’s my dream come true for my age to be selected for the national team and subsequently help the team. It’s sad we did not qualify but my aim is in future to see the team go to another youth Olympic games so that I can be part of the team’’. The hockey national team last participated in the Youth Olympic Games in 2014 in Nanjing, China.

She says she feels Inspired to be the only young player in the national team and says she is inspired by Mundayi Makayi a hockey matron who introduced her to the sport of hockey at OYDC Zambia.

Meanwhile, Chaya hopes her hockey national team can qualify for the 4th Summer Youth Olympic Games to take place in Dakar, Senegal in 2026 which she says will be an amazing journey to show the world her skill on the turf.  Her position in the national team is mid-field.

Other than hockey, Chaya wants to become a nurse when she completes school as she is currently doing her eighth grade at Chaisa Combined School in Lusaka.

She has won medals for the club in the Teulings Youth Sports Challenge and other local competitions organized by the Zambia Hockey Association.