adminNgqwele Dube Sports Correspondent
ZIMBABWE team captain Brendon Cyprianos says he is ready to lead the nation’s swimming team to a haul of medals at the African Swimming Confederation Zone 4 Championships which begins on Wednesday in Mauritius. Cyprianos, who was named the boys’ team captain last month, expressed confidence the team would perform well at the regional event.
The CANA 4 Championships will be held in Mauritius’ Beau Bassin from Wednesday to Saturday. The 18-year-old Christian Brothers College pupil said after missing the past two CANA Zone 4 meetings they were eager to show they have what it takes to compete among the best in the region.
“We are all motivated to come up with good performances, not only medals but also the times. I have been preparing well and I’m sure the other guys have been doing the same because we want to do the country proud,” he said.
Zimbabwe Aquatic Union president Mary Kloppers believes they have a strong team which will compete well at the annual games saying their toughest opponents were likely to be South Africa and host country Mauritius.
“I believe we have a very good team that can compete well at that stage and bring in the medals. Some of the swimmers in the team took part in the Level Three championships held in South Africa last month and this provided good preparations for them. I feel the swimmers would be at their peak since it is at the end of the season,” said Kloppers.
Zimbabwe will field two swimmers per event and in all the scheduled events. The meeting will close with one kilometre and three kilometre open swim and Kloppers said all the swimmers indicated they would be taking part. An open swim is an event held in an open natural water body such as the sea.
Zimbabwean swimmer James Lawson, who is taking aim at the Olympics, would be hoping to meet the qualifying time at the meet. The Zimbabwe Swimming Board of Control announced the 26-member team last month while naming Cyprianos and Lorna Doorman captains of the boys and girls teams respectively.
Doorman (17) of Peterhouse Girls was one of the top achievers at the National Swimming Championships held in Bulawayo in February scooping three gold and two silver medals.
The regional competition involves countries from the Southern African region that have been grouped into Zone 4 and include Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Comoros, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mozambique, Malawi, Seychelles, Swaziland Zambia, Lesotho and Zimbabwe.
CANA 4 Zimbabwe Team
Girls 11-12: Paige Van der Westhuisen, Hannah Mitchell
Boys 11-12: Callum Davis, Christian Cullen
Girls 13-14: Nomvula Mjimba, Courtney Brown, Claire Melrose, Chiedza Mtetwa, Maryke Koen, Anotida Makonese
Boys 13-14: Denilson Cyprianos, Tyrel Cooke, Marcelle Masvikeni, Jake Oostindien
Girls 15-16: Shamiso Gambe, Nyasha Mukonoweshuro, Yemurai Shangwa, Hollie Stander
Boys 15-16: Dale Bruce, Liam Davis, Ayman Khatoun
17-Over Girls: Ashleigh Miller, Lorna Doorman (Capt)
17-Over Boys: James Lawson, Brendon Cyprianos (Capt), Stuart Price
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