Online Reporter
Ellina Mhlanga
Zimpapers Sports Hub
MASHONALAND Central Athletics Board secretary-general Luckmore Changachirere is confident of a successful event when they host the National Cross Country Championships next month.
The competition to be staged at Bindura University of Science Education, was initially set for November 22 before it was brought forward to November 15.
BUSE are currently working on the course for the national event that will also serve as the selection meet for next year’s World cross country Championships in the United States in January.
“Generally, in terms of preparedness, the cross-country route, we are almost there.
“I can say we are delighted to be the hosts for this national and very important event because we are saying we are going to have a selection.
“Athletes who are going to represent Zimbabwe are going to be selected at this event being held in our province…We once hosted the same event in 2023. It was a successful event,” said Changachirere.
Senior men and women will compete in 10km while Under-20 men will be up for the 8km race and the women battle it out in 6km.
Under-18 men and women take part in the 6km and 4km races respectively.
The programme on the day will also include the Under-12 boys and girls (1km), and Under 16 boys and girls (2km) as well as a 2km race for 40 years and above men and women.
Being the host province, Changachirere said they will be out to field a big team for the various categories, although the main focus is on the senior and juniors who would want to make the team for the World Cross Country.
“Athletes are still registering, but we are looking forward to having quite a number of athletes. Since we are the host, we have unlimited slot of participants.
“We are not going to have a provincial cross-country for the selection; we are using previous records to select our team,” Changachirere said.
“And since we have no limited slots for athletes, we find it not necessary to have a selection event.
“So, we are putting all our efforts to preparing for the national event.:
Some of their top athletes expected to take part at the championships include Martha Chipuriro in the junior women. She was part of the team that represented the country at the CAA Under-18/Under-18 Championships in July, in Nigeria.
Polite Moyo is set to compete in the senior women while Tawanda Mabhiza and Gift Kweneke are expected to be part of the field in the senior men.
Confirming the rescheduling of the event, this week, national competitions director Manuel Mpofu said they want to ensure top middle- and long-distance runners are part of the national event.
“On the 22nd there is another event that’s why we shifted because we want all the top athletes to attend the cross country event.
“We want our long-and-middle distance runners to attend because we want to select the best athletes for the World Cross Country,” said Mpofu.
The likes of Wellington Varevi and Tendai Zimuto are some of the athletes that have declared their interest to try and make the cut for the World Cross Country.
Varevi represented the country at the previous edition of the event last year.
Zimuto’s debut appearance at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan last month seems to have motivated him to aim higher and has also set his eyes on the next big competition.
