Online Reporter
Ellina Mhlanga-Zimpapers Sports Hub
NATIONAL long-and middle-distance head coach Benson Chauke has challenged female runners in the country to take up the challenge when it comes to World Athletics Championships qualification.
Marathon remains one of the events Zimbabwe have consistently had representation at the championships but with a limited number in the women’s category.
It has mainly been Rutendo Nyahora and Fortunate Chidzivo representing the country at the global stage.
With the qualification for next year’s edition of the World Championships ongoing, Zimbabwe are mainly pinning their hopes on the men’s marathon.
With the automatic entry standards continuously getting tougher, the pool has remained small.
The men are chasing 2 hours 6 minutes, and women are looking at 2 hours 23 minutes 20 seconds.
Chauke believes the first step is to broaden the pool in the women’s category, challenging the young and upcoming female marathon runners to also take up the challenge.
“Our women have never gone beyond 2:28. And we say we are chasing qualifying time, not to take anything away from the ladies, but I think they need to come up in numbers, not to leave everything to the same ladies, to have Fortunate, having to really fight it out to have a representation.
“Nyahora, same thing . . . We need younger, hungry, those that are prepared to really put everything into it, to really come to make the cut, which may be doing a sub-2:30.
“If we could have five, six women that can run sub-2:30, then we will start. But for now, we are quite distant away, because we are far from the 2:28. When the qualifying is 2:23, the gap is too big,” said Chauke.
For the men’s event, they are looking at the likes of Tendai Zimuto and Moses Tarakinyu, who are bracing for the BMW Berlin Marathon this weekend.
Godwin Katakura and seasoned runner Isaac Mpofu are also in the mix, looking at upcoming races before the end of the year to try and push for the qualifying mark.
Mpofu is the national record holder with a time of 2 hours 6 minutes 48 seconds.
“But for the men we have a 2:06 in Isaac, a 2:08 in Godwin, a 2:09 in Tendai; it’s not very far.
“It’s just three minutes max, three minutes to get to the qualifying time. But for women, 2:23, and where our ladies are, there is probably more than 10, seven, eight minutes.
“So, there’s a huge gap to close. But however, we are not taking anything away from the women, but I probably would want to challenge them, the younger ones, to come on board, learn from the seniors who will soon retire.
“To learn one or two things and start working hard so that we have a proper representation at the Olympics, at the World Championships for both men and women, based on performance rather than on the quota system,” Chauke said.
Chidzivo represented the country last year at the championships in Tokyo after receiving a universality slot, making it her third appearance.
Nyahora has represented the country at both the World Championships and the Olympic Games.
Commenting on the times they are chasing for next year’s championships, Chauke said, “The marathon qualifying time- these are uncharted waters.”
