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Ellina Mhlanga
Senior Sports Reporter
IT is likely to be a busy week for athletics with the country’s Olympic hopefuls expected to compete in Italy and Zambia.
The country is scheduled to field four long-distance runners at the Siena Marathon on April 11, in Italy.
Ngoni Makusha is set to compete at the All Comers competition in Lusaka, Zambia, on April 10 and 11. The athletes will be out to get qualifying times for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe president, Tendai Tagara, is hopeful of some positives, if there are no changes to the races, which they are targeting.
The four long-distance runners going to Italy are Munyaradzi Jari, Isaac Mpofu, Ngonidzashe Ncube and Fortunate Chidzivo.
“They got their visas last Thursday and tomorrow (today) they go for the Covid-19 tests. We expect them to fly out on Wednesday, via Ethiopia, and they arrive on Thursday.
“I am hoping two or three can qualify if they do well in pacing. In terms of endurance they are okay.
“We have even paid for their coach/manager Craig Fry, who is based in South Africa, to travel with them.
“He will be there to assist on pacing and when they arrive they will tour the route because it’s a 5km loop so they will run eight laps.
“With the ongoing challenges I will only be relieved when they board the plane,” said Tagara.
Makusha is currently in South Africa training at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria.
He recently qualified for the African Championships, in the 200m, at the ASA Athletix Invitational Meeting in Johannesburg.
The continental meet is expected to take place from June 1 to 5 in Algeria and Tagara believes he is on the right track in his pursuit for a spot at the Olympics.
“Ngoni with a 20.94, he can reach the semi-finals at the African Championships. If you look at his times, they are good.
“He just need a good 100m to qualify for the Olympics.”
NAAZ are also considering sending Dickson Kapandura, Norman Mukwada and Dickson Kamungeremu for the competition in Zambia.
“We want Ngoni to attend because there is a good field. Mukwada, also, we want him to attend as well as Dickson Kamungeremu and Dickson Kapandura.
“The competition is Open and athletes can go as individuals but these four are some of the athletes we are targeting for the Olympics,” Tagara said. NAAZ are also pinning their hopes on the United States-based athletes, including triple jumper Chengetayi Mapaya, who has made the qualifying standard for the African Championships.
He is a medal hopeful at the continental competition.
“We also have Tinotenda Matiyenga. We are hoping that he qualifies for the African Championships.
“That’s the climax for qualifying to the Olympics where we have the best of the best in Africa. So most athletes will be going there to try and qualify for the Olympics.
“What we pray for, is for the Africa Senior Championships to take place. Chances of the competition being postponed are still high because of Covid-19.
“He (Mapaya) is our top candidate for a medal at the Africa Senior Championships, so at the moment we have two athletes that have qualified,” said Tagara.
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