Sundaymail Editor
Arthur Choga
A COLLEAGUE of mine, Nharo Mhandu, is a former marathon runner and still goes on the occasional jog, even as his knees are beginning to feel the strain of such physical exertion.
He has never won a major race but his passion for the sport remains.
His daughter, Wakanaka, is clearly inspired by her dad’s affinity for the road and is also a keen runner.
She wakes up early and goes jogging with her dad or by herself.
She is one of the top athletes at her school and regularly wins prizes in school events.
The 10-year-old, who believes she has a future in the sport, actually holds school records in middle-distance races.
The senior Mhandu has been looking for ways of assisting his daughter reach her goal of making it to the World Championships and the Olympics.
“I have visited sports clubs and associations looking for someone to train my daughter. Unfortunately, I have not had any joy. I am referred to sports clubs where there is Zumba and bodybuilding, but this is not what she needs,” he said.
Although he has come across several football academies, a junior triathlon programme, a training programme for junior rowers and a tennis coaching agency, he has not seen anything for young runners, which is strange given that most track events do not have many requirements.
Taken as a hobby, all the equipment one needs are a good pair of running shoes and comfortable clothes.
There are no sticks, racquets, helmets, tyres, goggles, bikes, cars or canoes needed.
Most schools have a track, usually set around the main sports field, and these are easily accessible.
All one needs to do is speak to the school heads.
It is only when you move to events like hurdles and steeplechase that you then need equipment.
A relay team can practise changeovers successfully with any reasonable object.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about cross country and the number of young athletes the nation is losing because they cannot find space or opportunities to pursue their passion.
The local athlete has to work extra hard, usually alone, so they can catch up with the rest of the world, and the results we see, on a yearly basis, speak for themselves.
Talent identification programmes like football trials are rare to come by.
Scouting that puts talented young people into training programmes that help develop their skills is vital.
Despite abundant evidence of athletes having transcended their humble beginnings to build comfortable lives for themselves, an alarming number of people still view sports as a substitute.
Sadly, for young sportspeople, particularly athletes, if they are not in the elite school system or do not get scholarships, their dreams turn into dust.
We need a serious change of mindset for athletics to also be prioritised.
Zimbabwe has had exceptional track athletes like Winneth Dube, Larissa Bakasa, Julia Sakala and Samukeliso Moyo.
The environment and passion which shaped these athletes into household names needs to be rekindled and nurtured so that young Wakanaka, and many others like her, can live their dream.
We do not talk about our heroes enough; therefore, the first image of a female sprinter in many young minds is that of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and her colourful braids.
Winneth Dube has so much knowledge to share and many experiences to build on, as do Samukeliso Moyo and all the great athletes before her.
Jamaica has deliberately focused on sprints, and it has produced champion after champion.
Their athletes are heroes.
From the 1970s to the early 2000s, Merlene Ottey was a lone Jamaican runner on the track, representing her country for two decades but always falling short of the biggest prize at the Olympics and the World Championships.
She often took the bronze.
However, she never stopped trying.
Her determination paved the way for athletes who would later follow in her footsteps.
Her desire to keep pushing opened doors for Veronica Campbell-Brown, Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Elaine Thompson-Herah.
Even though she later left Jamaica and began competing for Slovenia, she had laid a strong foundation for the sport.
We need to get our stars to follow suit as this will allow the young Wakanakas to chase their Olympic dream.
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