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Uganda has sent six female boxers to compete in Africa Elite Men and Women Boxing Championships for the first time. The tournament is due from July 25 -to August 6 in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
The national team of eleven male boxers and six women pugilists departed for Yaoundé today via Addis Ababa.
Here are the 'She Bombers' consisting of champions in their respective weights.
Emily Nakalema (captain, welterweight)
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Nakalema is the captain of the women's national boxing team. Aged 24, Nakalema won a gold medal at the 2018 East African Games.
Before the tournament, she won gold at the national open boxing championships and defended her national title in 2019.
She also participated in the Dakar Africa Olympic qualifiers for the Tokyo Olympics, where she reached the quarterfinals.
"We have done the best training, and I hope we shall return with medals," adding, "I am thrilled to be part of the team," she said ahead of the competition.
Nadia Najjemba (bantamweight)
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Najjemba was preferred over 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medal winner Teddy Nakimuli thanks to her superb form in the Uganda Boxing Federation Champions League.
Only 19 years of age, Najjemba has wowed crowds with her ferocious determination and 'hand of steel'.
"It gives me joy that they're supporting female boxers to compete at the highest levels. We shall prove that women can excel in boxing," Najjemba noted.
Grace Nankinga (light flyweight)
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Nankinga won gold at the 2019 national open championship in the youth category. Aged 20, she is one of the newcomers on the national team.
Sharua Ndagire (featherweight)
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Ndagire is a back-to-back gold medal winner. She won gold in 2018 in the national schools boxing championships and 2019 at the national open junior category.
Zahara Nandawula (lightweight)
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Nandawula is also a back-to-back gold medal winner at the national school championships and in the national open junior category in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
Erina Namutebi (light welterweight)
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She won gold at the 2020 national novices and the 2023 national open. Namutebi is a UPDF boxer.
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