Another gold medal in the bag for Yamikani Guba, Malawi’s only heavyweight professional taekwondo athlete

* He rolled out the 2024 season with two gold medals attained at the Army Open Championship last month

* Last year alone he won 15 medals of 6 gold medals, 6 silver and 3 bronze

By Duncan Mlanjira

UK-based Malawian taekwondo Master, Yamikani Guba has attained his third gold medal for the 2024 season, which he won at the Ultimate Open Championship 2024 in Vets +87kgs held at the Metrodome Lesuire Centre, Sheffield on Sunday.

Guba, Malawi’s only heavyweight professional taekwondo athlete based in the UK — who is serving in the British Army and fights for Army Taekwondo WT Team — won 2-0 against Paul Inwood from UK-based Ultimate Taekwondo club.

The top athlete, who was honoured with the accolade of 2023 Sportsman of the Year at the Malawi Sport Awards Gala on February 16, rolled out the 2024 season with two gold medals attained at the Army Open Championship in UK last month.

The gold medals were attained in WT Poomsae Masters category and +87kgs kyorugi (fighting) at the championships held at the Army Combat Centre in Aldershot and he says he is now looking forward to his next games in April — the Dome Open Championships.

Guba, who holds a Malawian passport and has represented Malawi at international level, was recognised by the selectors of the Malawi Sport Awards for winning 15 medals in 2023 of 6 gold medals, 6 silver and 3 bronze.

The gold medals he won in 2023 were Ultimate Taekwondo Championships in January; Midlands Open Taekwondo Championships in March; Army Open Taekwondo Championships also in March held at the Army Combat Centre in Aldershort in the Vets +87 category; Seniors at the Scottish Open Championships in September and Vets +87 category at the England  Open Championships in November held at Leeds Beckett University.

The silver medals were at the 50th Anniversary Dutch Open Taekwondo Championships in March in Eindhoven in the Netherlands in March 23 which is used as the World Taekwondo Ranking event; at the Inter-Services Championships in June; at the European Masters Games 2023 held in Finland in July and Vets +87 category & Seniors at the Scottish Open Championships in September.

Guba was also nominated for the 2019 Malawi Sport Awards’ Sportsman of the Year alongside men’s footballer Gabadinho Mhango and women footballer Tabitha Chawinga but the award went to Tabitha.

The two gold medals won last month from the Army Open Championship were the first championship games this year involving only military personnel and he told Maravi Express that he felt reinvigorated after he was recognised as the Sportsman of the Year by the Malawi Sport Awards.

He had said: “This year, I aim even higher, not just for the Malawi Sport Awards but to put Malawi on the world map in as far as taekwondo is concerned.  Thanks so much to all who support me, especially the media who have exposed me to the Malawian audience.”