Barbra Banda has a reputation as the ‘most in-form forward in the world’ for a reason.
Having scored 12 goals in her first 12 NWSL games, expectations were high coming into Paris 2024.
The 24-year-old is no stranger to women’s Olympic football, putting her name in lights at Tokyo 2020 three years ago.
Zambia’s captain became the first player in tournament history to score hat-tricks in back-to-back games, against the Republic of China and the Netherlands, despite her side going winless and exiting in the group stages.
Fast-forward to now, at the Nice Stadium, and the electric forward has added yet another three-goal feat to her name in a breathless 11-goal encounter against Australia that ended 6-5 in favour of the Aussies.
Her slice of history was wrapped up inside the opening 45 minutes, with decisive strikes at the very start and end of the first half.
Banda is now the first player in women’s football to score three hat-tricks at the Olympic Games.
Her current tournament goal tally now stands at nine, five shy of Cristiane’s record (14).
