All set for cross country champs

IT’S all systems go ahead of the Bulawayo Athletics Board (Bab) Cross-Country Championships set for Nketa Drive Park in Mpopoma tomorrow.

This will be Bab’s first calendar event of the year.

Participants will include cadets, youth, juniors, and seniors competing in the 4km, 6km, and 8km races.

Last year’s event failed to attract a good number in terms of participants but Bab chairperson Watson Madanyika expects an improvement.

“We will close registration on the morning of the event which we have decided will start at 9am. Usually, we start way earlier but we have extended the time in a bid to give people enough time to come and take part in the event. We are certainly hoping for improvement in the number of participants as we are aiming to send a strong field of athletes for the national event next month which will take place in Redcliff,” said Madanyika.
Junior athletes will pay US$1 while seniors will pay US$2.

The Bulawayo race starts at Nketa Drive Park in Mpopoma, going through Matshobana and back to the park. Another cross-country event is scheduled for January 21 at the same venue.

The two events will be used to select a team that will represent Bulawayo at the inter-provincial championships in February.

Last year, Denford Mlilo won the race after finishing the 10km race in 37 minutes 57.59 seconds followed by Thabo Mapfumo, who crossed the finishing line in 38 minutes 05.07 seconds, while Lenias Mcelelwa was third in 43 minutes 48.80 seconds, Annie Chirisa won the senior women’s 10km race in 47 minutes 47.78 seconds.

Meanwhile, registration for the first track and field championship event for the year in the city is now open. The event is set for February 3 at White City Stadium. Entry fees are pegged at US$2 per event for cadets, youths, and juniors while for seniors and relay teams, the entry fee is US$3.

Events on offer are the 100m, 100m hurdles, 110m hurdles, 200m, 400m, 400m hurdles, 800m, 1 500m,3 000m, 5 000m, 10 000m, 4x100m relay, 4x400m relay, ZITF Coca-Cola 4-minute mile challenge, long jump, triple jump, high jump, javelin, shotput, and discus.