Malawi Queens Goal Shooter, Mwawi Kumwenda has announced her retirement from international netball.
Kumwenda made the announcement on Sunday after the Queens registered 64-54 win against Tonga in the 2023 netball world cup.
“It’s time to leave the stage and give the chance to emerging talent,” said Kumwenda as quoted by MIJ Online
She was reacting to a question from a reporter on whether the netball fraternity should expect to see her at the next world cup finals four years from now.
Who is Mwawi Kumwenda?
She is the daughter of Kennedy and Costa Kumwenda was raised and born in Mtwalo village in Mzimba District. She is the youngest of eight siblings. She began playing netball in primary school.
She continued playing netball in secondary school and came to the attention of late Griffin Sayenda, the former Malawi national netball team coach.
When Kumwenda was just fifteen, and with the encouragement of Sayenda, she moved to Blantyre to pursue a netball career.
In Malawi, Kumwenda played for Escom Sisters who later changed their name to Kukoma Diamonds.
In April 2008 Kumwenda played for Malawi in an away series against England. In August 2009, she was tournament top scorer at the 2009 Netball World Youth Cup.
She subsequently represented Malawi at the 2010, 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games and at the 2011 and 2015 Netball World Cups.
Kumwenda was the top goal scorer at three successive major tournaments – the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the 2015 Netball World Cup, and the 2018 Commonwealth Games. At the 2015 Netball World Cup she was also named Player of the Tournament.
At the 2018 Commonwealth Games she scored 41 goals as she helped Malawi defeat New Zealand 57–53. She captained Malawi and was again tournament top scorer when they finished third at the 2016 Fast5 Netball World Series.
At club level, Kumwenda has played for Peninsula Waves in the Victorian Netball League, Victorian Fury in the Australian Netball League, Mainland Tactix in the ANZ Championship between 2013 and 2016 and in 2016 she signed for Melbourne Vixens of Suncorp Super Netball.
She missed the 2019 Netball World Cup because of injury. In 2020, she signed an endorsement contract with Puma to become the German sportswear giant’s poster girl. She is currently based in Australia playing for Melbourne Vixens.
