Online Reporter
Ellina Mhlanga
Zimpapers Sports Hub
NATIONAL Athletics Association of Zimbabwe president, Tendayi Tagara has underscored the importance of participating in the Confederation of African Athletics Under-18/Under-20 championships, which served multiple objectives.
The championships also provided a platform for Zimbabwe’s young athletes to prepare for the Youth Olympics, scheduled for Dakar in Senegal next year, with focus being thrust on the Under-18 team.
For over a week, the young athletes braved the searing heat of Nigeria and took to the track and field to compete against some of Africa’s finest.
The event offered opportunities for athletes to showcase their talent, gain exposure, and gauge themselves against their counterparts from the continent.
Tagara added that the championships also presented a platform for athletes to get recognised by coaches and scouts from universities in America, potentially leading to scholarship opportunities for them while for others, just the experience and exposure can be beneficial for their future careers.
Zimbabwe had 47 young athletes competing at the championships in Abeokuta, where they picked five medals including one gold.
It was a bag of mixed fortunes with some of the athletes having outstanding moments while others struggled to go beyond the first round.
“There is a two-fold on Team Zimbabwe. This was a young team. There is a team that we sent to specifically prepare for the Youth Olympics after we got assistance from ZOC (Zimbabwe Olympic Committee) to prepare for the Youth Olympics, that is an under-18 team,’’ Tagara said.
“That team was in Nigeria specifically to prepare; they are an Under-17 team because next year they must be Under-18 to qualify. So, they were running against the real Under-18s.
“If you look at the medals, the reflection was on the performance of these athletes. They are still young,” he said.
The Youth Olympic Games are scheduled for October 31 to November 13, 2026, and it marks the first time the event is held on the African continent.
Tagara said while NAAZ are focusing on performance, there are other opportunities that come with participating at the continental level.
And with the national association financially constrained there was a waiver for those that could fund their children to compete in Nigeria to do so.
“We made a big decision to make sure that we must bring as many athletes as we can so that they learn what it is and how others are doing it.
“Remember we have an objective as an organisation, parents also have their own objectives for their children. The majority of these children are pushing for good times, to run times for scholarships.
“This competition is a competition that helps them to get recognised.
“As an association, we had limited resources, so we targeted the outstanding ones for this competition we assisted in funding. They are very limited.
“In total, our total number of athletes we assisted, there are about 12.
“So, we would have come with a team of 12, but we said no, we can’t do that since parents have an objective for their children.
“This is the only platform where we come and meet the best of coaches, the best of scouts, that are looking for athletes for their universities in America,” added Tagara.
The championships dominated by the likes of Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya, presented young athletes with the opportunity to showcase their talent and also gauge themselves against their counterparts from around the continent.
A number of Zimbabwean athletes were coming from the African Union Sports Council Region 5 Games where they had picked a number of medals.
Tagara believes the CAA championships was an eye opener and they should expect some of the athletes to graduate to seniors after building on the exposure and experience.
“This is now a high level. Getting into the final, or into the semi-final and the final at this level, is a great achievement.
“We are now working on how we must prepare for the competitions that are coming.”
With the World Athletics Under-20 Championships scheduled for next year in August, some of the young athletes will be working towards qualification for the event.
