A silver that feels like gold
A shy smile spread across 17-year-old Dorcia Nichelvie Ndembi Mbaya’s face as the Angolan crowd applauded her silver medal in the –55 kg category at the 4th African Youth Games. For the Brazzaville student, that moment meant far more than second place.
By finishing runner-up, Ndembi secured Congo-Brazzaville’s first taekwondo quota for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, a milestone immediately saluted by officials from the Congolese Taekwondo Federation (FCTKD) and the African Taekwondo Union.
Luanda lessons build momentum
Ndembi’s road in Luanda was a study in grit. She opened with a decisive 2-0 victory over Botswana’s Boitumelo Ditsele, followed by a tense golden-point win against Egypt’s Rania El-Sherif, before bowing to Nigeria’s Uche Nwosu in a tactical final (FCTKD).
“Each bout was a classroom,” her coach Clément Mankassa said on arrival in Brazzaville. “Dorcia listened, adapted, and never panicked. That maturity at her age is priceless.” The staff believe the Luanda experience will sharpen her for Dakar’s multi-sport environment.
Roots in Brazzaville dojangs
Ndembi trains at the modest Club Élite de Poto-Poto, a concrete hall a few blocks from the Congo River. There, three evening sessions per week mix basic kicks with video analysis thanks to a projector donated by local businesses.
The club’s head trainer, former national champion Grace Mavoungou, insists on education first. Ndembi therefore splits mornings between Lycée Chaminade classes and sprint drills on the Stade Alphonse-Massamba-Débat track, a balance her parents say keeps her grounded.
Federation strategy pays off
Since 2022, the FCTKD has focused funds on youth, organising quarterly regional camps and offering small scholarships that cover transport and meals. President Armel Bemba calls the Luanda silver “proof that targeted investment delivers.”
The Ministry of Sports, celebrating recent football and handball successes, pledged additional mats and electronic scoring gear for the high-performance centre in Talangaï, citing Ndembi’s result as a catalyst for wider combat-sport development (Ministry release).
Voices from the mat
Teammate Junior Obata, who reached the quarter-finals in the boys’ –63 kg bracket, believes Ndembi’s calm is contagious. “She never yells after a hit,” he laughed. “She just nods, adjusts her guard, and comes back faster.”
World Taekwondo development officer María Blanco, present in Luanda, praised Congo-Brazzaville’s tactical evolution. “Their athletes used to attack straight. Now they vary distance and timing. That reflects good coaching and hours on video review,” she told regional media.
Dakar 2026 now on the horizon
The Youth Olympic Games will unfold in the Senegalese capital from 31 October to 13 November 2026. Ndembi has just under two years to fine-tune power, weight management, and ring-craft against taller Asian fighters historically dominant in her division (World Taekwondo).
Coach Mankassa plans a step-by-step build-up: regional opens in Gabon and Cameroon this year, African Championships in 2025, then a European training stint funded by a new partnership with the French Taekwondo Federation.
Inspiring a new generation
At the Mathieu Kérékou sports complex in Pointe-Noire, registrations have reportedly jumped 25 % since the Games, parents citing Ndembi’s medal as motivation for enrolling daughters. The federation aims to ride that wave, dispatching athletes to schools for demonstration days.
Sociologist Diane Ibata views the phenomenon positively. “Female role models in combat sports challenge stereotypes and build confidence,” she said, adding that television coverage of Dakar 2026 on Télé Congo could amplify that social shift.
What supporters can expect next
Ndembi resumes national-team camp this Monday in Brazzaville, with fitness tests open to media at 10 a.m. Fans can also catch her during the May 1 friendly against Angola, streamed live on the FCTKD Facebook page, subject to bandwidth.
Ticketing details for the 2025 African Championships will be announced in September. Meanwhile, club coaches encourage aspiring practitioners to bring ID, a medical certificate, and 3 000 F CFA for annual licences. Ndembi’s journey, they say, shows that every kick in a small gym can travel far.
