Former Zambia Women’s National Team captain Kabange Mupopo, who switched from football to athletics in 2014, has made a surprise return to the international stage after being named to the Copper Queens squad for the 2024 Olympics qualifiers.
Mupopo led Zambia to the 2014 Women’s African Cup, where they were eliminated in the group stage.
She switched to athletics the same year and ran 53.44 in her official 400-meter race.
The 31-year-old also represented Zambia at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. She ran 53.09 and was eliminated in the semi-finals.
Mupopo won silver in 51.21 seconds at the African Championships in Marrakech in August 2014, breaking the Zambian record. She went on to improve her national record to 50.87 at the 2014 IAAF Continental Cup in Marrakech, where she finished fourth.
In 2015, the Zambian Olympic Committee awarded her an 18-month athletics scholarship, encouraging her to focus on athletics rather than football.
Mupopo won gold medals at the 2015 All-Africa Games in Congo Brazzaville and the 2016 Durban African Athletics Championship and was selected for the 2015 World Championships in Beijing.
How Mupopo returned to football
However, in 2018, she was given a four-year ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU). This was after she tested positive for a prohibited substance following a failed drug test at the 2017 World Championships.
Mupopo’s sample provided at the event was found to contain exogenous testosterone. The Zambian denied any wrongdoing, claiming that she always has elevated testosterone levels due to hyperandrogenism.
That appeared to have ended her career in athletics, as she returned to football and has been playing for the Green Buffaloes women’s football club.
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With Bruce Mwape looking to add more experience to his squad, he has handed the sprinter a call-up for the Olympic Games qualifiers against Ghana.
The Copper Queens will travel to Ghana on February 23 for the first leg. The return fixture will be played in Ndola five days later.
The winner of the tie will face either Morocco or Tunisia for a spot at the Paris Olympics.
