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Ellina Mhlanga–Senior Sports Reporter
THE National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe are hoping their athletes expected to compete at the World Cross Country Championships this weekend in Bathurst, Australia, will rise to the challenge.
Zimbabwe are fielding two athletes — Olivia Chitate, in the women’s section, and Blessing Waison, in the men’s category.
The championships are due to take place this coming Saturday.
This year marks 50 years since the event came under the stewardship of World Athletics in 1973.
And NAAZ president, Tendai Tagara, said having been part of the championships for many years, they are excited to be part of this year’s edition.
“Zimbabwe, as a country, we are happy that we have been participating at the World Cross Country Championships for quite a number of years now.
“I think we have only missed one World Cross Country event, the one which we had the Covid-19 issues. But otherwise we have tried to make sure we are always represented at the competition.
“So it has been a measuring stick for our performances, especially for the middle and long-distance runners. So it is one of the most taxing events in the world in terms of endurance.
“We are hoping that the team as they go this time, they also perform well. If they finish in the top 10 it means they automatically qualify for the 10 000m at the World Championships. So that’s our first objective.
“The second objective is that if they fail to be in the top 10, they must be in the top 20 which is reasonable and a respectable position for them to achieve,” said Tagara.
Tagara said they were expecting their athletes’ visas between yesterday and today.
The two athletes — Chitate and Waison — earned the tickets to represent the country at the World Cross Country Championships when they won the national event staged in Bindura last month.
They have been working with their respective coaches. Cephas Pasipamire, who has been assisting Chitate, believes she is ready for the competition.
“As someone who has been doing marathon, we just adjusted the programme to suit the upcoming race. We have been working more on speed because marathon it’s more on endurance. So we have had to work on her speed.
“From the training sessions we have been having, her speed has been okay. We have also been working on her mind, just to prepare her mentally for the race.
“She is competing at world level where she will meet fast athletes who will push her, so it’s also good for her. If she gets in the top 10, her profile also grows,” said Pasipamire.
Waison has been training under the guidance of his coach at Cadence Athletics Club, Alden Muhoni.
The 27-year-old runner is happy with the progress he has made.
“I have an idea of the course and we tried to find a similar course here for the training sessions. So preparations have been going well. What we are waiting for now are the visas but everything else is on track.
“I want to fight for the top 10, if not at least make the top 20.
“When we competed at the national cross country championships, I had not trained that much but now, I have put more work in my training and there has been so much improvement on my times,” said Waison.
Online Reporter