Sport
Landmark
Barbra Banda
born 2000
The first footballer ever to score hat-tricks in consecutive Olympic matches
Landmark is level 2 of 4 in the Zambia Hall of Fame: a first that opened a door, or the pre-eminent figure of their generation in this country. See how the levels work.
Why they are here
At the Tokyo Olympics she scored a hat-trick against the Netherlands and another against China — something no footballer, man or woman, had done before. She captained Zambia to its first Olympics and first World Cup, and was named BBC Women's Footballer of the Year.
Barbra Banda grew up in Lusaka and played boxing before football. At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Zambia's first appearance in the tournament, she scored three against the Netherlands and three against China in successive matches — the first player of either sex to score consecutive Olympic hat-tricks — even though Zambia lost both games.
She captained the side to the country's first Women's World Cup in 2023 and scored there too. In 2024 she joined Orlando Pride in the United States, won the National Women's Soccer League championship, and was named BBC Women's Footballer of the Year. She is the most recognised Zambian athlete of her generation.
She captained the side to the country's first Women's World Cup in 2023 and scored there too. In 2024 she joined Orlando Pride in the United States, won the National Women's Soccer League championship, and was named BBC Women's Footballer of the Year. She is the most recognised Zambian athlete of her generation.
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