Online Reporter
Lovemore Dube [email protected]
THE National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (Naaz) is monitoring how the nation’s athletes are performing ahead of the announcement of a programme to prepare athletes for the African Games, which will be hosted by Egypt in January 2027.
Phakamile Lisimati, the senior national coach and also director of coaching for Naaz, told Zimpapers on Wednesday that a blueprint will be made available once they have finished monitoring athletes.
The Games, being held in January, coincide with the World Championships, which will be held later in Beijing, China.
The fact that the African Games will be in January presents a challenge to national associations and athletes, who are used to January being the indoor season.
With most athletes going into the off-season in September, Naaz will be hard pressed to develop a programme to keep athletes fit and competitive so that they do not lose their sharpness.
Lisimati said he was concerned about the number of female athletes at a level suitable for selection for the African Games.
“Hhhmmm, still looking at our ladies’ side, not yet clear,” said Lisimati.
Very few Zimbabwean athletes have impressed on the world stage, with only three worth mentioning at this stage.
Vimbayi Masvorewa, with 51.42 seconds in the 400m and Nontokozo Ncube, with 51.85 seconds over the same distance are worth mentioning for a place in the team for Egypt.
Masvorewa finds herself at 80th in the world this season, while rising star Ncube, running in her first collegiate season, is 129th.
Ashley Miller, a medal contender if she stays injury-free, has impressed with a silver medal at the Senior African
Championships in Ghana in the 100m hurdles. She is ranked 71st in the world this year with a time of 12.92 seconds, a national record.
Over the 400m hurdles, she is ranked 10th with another Zimbabwean record of 54.08 seconds.
She holds the 300m record and her 200m time of 23.31 seconds—the best by a Zimbabwean—is 263rd in the world, with Masvorewa at 796th with 23.83 seconds and Samukeliso Ndebele at 911th with 23.90 seconds, further amplifying Lisimati’s concerns about female representation in Egypt.
In the 100m sprint, Ndebele’s 11.61 seconds is miles away from being a contender in Egypt.
At the African Senior Championships, she reached only the semi-finals of the short sprints.
In other events where Zimbabwe’s female athletes are visible and ranked globally, Ncube is 396th in the world with a time of 2 minutes 4.72 seconds, while Privilege Chikara, also on scholarship in the United States, is 273rd with a time of 2 minutes 3.44 seconds.
Lisimati said the national association is monitoring performances in long and middle-distance running.
Apart from Chikara and Ncube, there have been no noteworthy performances.
Lisimati also mentioned field events as an area he is keeping an eye on, with Chengetai Mapaya, Theophillus Mudzengerere and Tafadzwa Chikomba doing fairly well.
Chikomba is ranked sixth in the world with a jump of 8.37m and was unfortunate to have his 8.75m performance declared a win, which would have added his name to the world’s elite two weeks ago.
Mapaya’s 16.85m is the 20th best triple jump of the season, while Mudzengerere’s 16.83m ranks 23rd. Zimbabwean sprinters are assured of a place on the plane to Egypt.
Over the past three years, they have shown notable performances at the 2024 Olympics, 2025 World Championships and 2026 World Relays. Even at the Senior African Championships in Ghana last month, they finished the tour strongly with gold in the men’s 4x400m relay, silver and bronze in the men’s 400m and silver in the 100m hurdles.
The same men’s team, with three athletes running sub-45-second 400m laps this year, is ranked fifth in the world with a time of 2:59.01 achieved in Gaborone, Botswana, at the World Relays finals.
In a season dominated by sprints, Denzel Simusialela’s sub-10-second run was ruled out due to wind assistance, his 10.04 seconds remains the 45th best in the world. Tapiwanashe Makarawu’s 10.10 seconds is the second-best among Zimbabweans, ranking 89th globally.
Some of Zimbabwe’s best times include Makanakaishe “King Kong” Charamba’s 19.88 seconds in the 200m, which is the sixth best, Simusialela’s 19.98 seconds (14th), Methembe Tshuma’s 20.26 seconds (43rd) and David Nyamufarira’s 20.53 seconds (138th).
Thandazani Ndhlovu set a new national 300m record of 32.06 seconds and was part of the 4x400m relay team, alongside two other impressive performances of 44.71 and 44.73 seconds achieved this week in Italy, all in his first professional international race.
Ndhlovu’s 44.71 seconds ranks 28th, Hove’s 44.88 seconds is 42nd, Zuze’s 45.00 seconds is 45th, Mpofu’s 45.02 seconds is 102nd, Siwela’s 45.53 seconds is 147th, Pahuma’s 45.55 seconds is 155th, Makarawu’s 46.34 seconds is 509th, Matiyenga’s 46.61 seconds, Bvekerwa’s 46.63 seconds, Muwishi’s 46.67 seconds, Muzondo’s 47.02 seconds and Mathuthu’s 47.04 seconds.
