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Ricky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter
THE declining number of female athletes is worrying the Bulawayo Athletics Board (Bab)ahead of next weekend’s inter-provincial cross-country championships in Kwekwe. In an interview yesterday, Bab chairman Manuel Mpofu bemoaned the dwindling number of senior female athletes in the province and said there is a need to recruit more juniors for the future.
“We have a serious issue in the province because we are losing senior female athletes.
“Most of the athletes once they get married they are no longer available for competitions while others have gone elsewhere to seek greener pastures.
“The only thing that can save the situation is to recruit more female junior athletes so that even if some are to leave athletics, we will still retain a meaningful number that graduates into the senior women’s team,” Mpofu said.
Sparrows Athletics Club is taking a lead in grooming female athletes.
The Lobengula-based club coach Vusumuzi Mlilo is nurturing 18-year-old Nobukhosi Dube who won the 2012 Old Mutual Nkulumane 10km race as well as the Spar Nkulumane 10km.
Last year Dube represented Zimbabwe at the regional cross-country competition in Lesotho.
Patience Gurure (15), a promising middle and long distance runner is also at Sparrows which is also home to 19-year-old Faith Moyo of Cowdray Park Secondary School.
Mpofu challenged other clubs to take a leaf from Sparrows and produce more female athletes.
Meanwhile, Mpofu said they will announce their squad for Kwekwe during the week, having held their final qualifiers at Luveve High School last month.
He said he was confident that Bulawayo will excel at the Kwekwe meet and they are pinning their hopes on veteran Isaac Mpofu who won the senior men’s category last year.
Gurure, Moyo, Alicate Matiza of Mpopoma High School, Sanele Ncube of Jimila Athletics Club, City Striders’ Rosetta Mandebvu are some of the athletes expected to be in Bulawayo’s team for the national cross-country championships.
“We are going to take 24 athletes to Kwekwe and we will be announcing our squad on Tuesday.
“As defending champions, we are looking forward to the inter-provincial cross-country championships and our target is to contribute at least five athletes who will be part of Team Zimbabwe for the regional championships set for South Africa next month,” he said.
The Bulawayo squad will have its final training session at Luveve High School on Wednesday.
Online Reporter