By SANDRA MWILA –
BODYBUILDER Gift Kalunga won the 2015 Mr Kanyama contest after outclassing 11 other musclemen to walk away with the title and K4,500 prize money.
The event, held at the Best Western Plus Lusaka Grand Hotel on Saturday evening saw Kalunga put up a dominant display as he flexed to the delight of the crowd that thronged the venue.

•NEWLY-CROWNED champion Gift Kalunga (centre) outmuscles his opponents during the 2015 Mr Kanyama bodybuilding contest held at The Best Western-Plus Hotel in Lusaka on Saturday. Picture by GWEN CHIPASULA

Initially the winner of the competition was to walk away with K3,500 but Speed Lock and Key Services added a K1,000 owing to Kalunga’s performance.
The Mr Kanyama contest, which was last held two years ago, saw Richard Nawa finish second while third place went to Prince Chanda.
Kalunga said in an interview that he was delighted to win the 2015 Mr Kanyama title and was quick to admit that the competition was tough but expected to win because he had prepared adequately for the contest.
“The competition was tough but I trained hard and my target was to win just like everyone else. It was not easy to be the winner out of the 12 bodybuilders because the competition was stiff,” Kalunga said.
Sports Council of Zambia (SCZ) Board member Matildah Mwaba commended Kanyama Gymnasium for hosting a successful event and urged other gyms to step up to the challenge of hosting similar events for the growth of the sport.
“Well-done Kanyama gym for hosting this event, SCZ will also want to see other gyms hosting similar events. It is through such events that we can keep the youths busy and stop them from getting involved in bad vices,” she said.