adminNgqabutho Moyo, Sports Reporter
NATIONAL Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (NAAZ) boss Tendai Tagara says 2014 has been one of their most successful years.
Following a forgettable 2013 which was marked by a drastic decline in local athletics standards, Tagara said a good number of athletes had been exposed to international events in 2014.
More athletes than in 2012 and 2013 combined competed outside the country this year.
“This year was a very good year for athletics in the country, we managed to send more athletes to international events than in 2012 and 2013 combined and managed to hold the African Union Sports Council Region 5 Under-20 Youth Games at White City Stadium.
“In 2014 more Zimbabweans participated in the International Athletics Association Federations (IAAF) circuit excluding the prestigious Diamond League tours.”
Tagara said athletics did well in the Region 5 Games winning 15 gold medals.
“Athletics is the discipline that did very well for Zimbabwe winning us 15 gold medals, that is a good achievement. This year we managed to run good times in regional and continental competitions which are used as qualifiers for world contests.
“We managed to qualify to compete in major international events this year. Our main goal is to gear our athletes to be competitive on the world stage for bigger athletics events in 2015 like the IAAF World Championships in China in August,” said Tagara.
Injured US-based sprinter Ngonidzashe Makusha remains Zimbabwe’s brightest medal prospect at the biennial track and field event after clinching a long-jump bronze medal at the last edition in Daegu, South Korea, becoming the first Zimbabwean to win a medal at the World Championships.
Road runners Sharon Tavengwa, Thabitha Tsatsa, Cephas Pasimire, Cuthbert Nyasango and Wirimai Juwawo are also expected to take part in various marathon races around the world.
If Zimbabwean athletes win events in the African Youth Championships to be held in Mauritius in March, they will qualify for the global youth event.
Last year rising sprinters Dumisani Bhebhe and Tinashe Mutanga qualified for the World Junior Championships held in Spain although Mutanga failed to travel to Barcelona due to academic commitments. Bhebhe did not perform well.
Tagara said over the years, poor funding has been NAAZ’s major drawback in competing in international meetings with the association heavily reliant on the IAAF annual grants but this year it was different with the government through the SRC playing a big role in assisting athletes travel for competitions.
“It’s obvious that these international competitions need a lot of money and that has been a big challenge for us, but this year it was better because we got a lot of assistance from the SRC,” said Tagara.
Online Reporter