Online Reporter
Lovemore Dube, [email protected]
FIVE provinces fielded athletes at the annual Arnold Payne and Ndabezinhle Mdhlongwa Track and Field Championships held at White City Stadium on Saturday, as preparations for the National Youth Games gathered momentum.
According to Midlands coach Njere Shumba and Bulawayo Athletics Board chairman Watson Madanyika, the competition provided provincial selectors and coaches with an opportunity to assess the form of some of their top junior athletes.
They said the event formed an important part of preparations for the forthcoming National Youth Games, which will be hosted by Mashonaland East in Marondera in August.
The Youth Games are making a comeback after a five-year hiatus following the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020. Before the interruption, the competition had, since 2003, provided young athletes with a national platform to showcase their talent.
The event also served as a key benchmark for provinces to assess the effectiveness of their junior development programmes against those of their counterparts across the country’s 10 provinces.
A total of 400 athletes competed at the championships, representing Bulawayo, Masvingo, Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South and the Midlands. Competitors took part in a broad range of disciplines, including sprints, middle and long-distance races, throws and jumps.
Several athletes delivered impressive performances, among them Zimbabwe Republic Police athlete Shyne Makota, who clocked one minute 52.28 seconds in the men’s 800m. Makota ran a commanding race and, with stronger competition, appeared capable of dipping below the one minute 50-second mark.
Stanley Mange of Fast Lane Crew finished second in one minute 56.20 seconds, while Musa Ndebele of Kip Keino Athletics Club came third in one minute 57.22 seconds.
Makota and Ndebele, both representing Bulawayo Province, are being touted as among the country’s most promising middle-distance runners.
Sobukhazi High School’s Blessing Munyuki won the junior men’s 800m in two minutes 01.41 seconds. Masotsha High School’s Methembe Ndlovu was second in two minutes 02.72 seconds, while Northlea High School’s Alexis Lunga finished third in two minutes 03.16 seconds.
Binga Academy’s Tulange Mudenda produced the fastest 800m time among the female competitors, winning the junior women’s race in two minutes 28.48 seconds.
Blanket Mine’s Chipo Munyonga claimed the senior women’s title in two minutes 47.46 seconds.
Masotsha High School’s Grace Mudonhi, already a standout performer in National Association of Secondary School
Heads (Nash) competitions, recorded a faster time than Munyonga when she won the youth girls’ race in two minutes 31.79 seconds.
Respect Ngwenya of Sobukhazi High School captured the 400m hurdles title in 53.05 seconds, narrowly beating Fast Lane Crew’s Vinny Mtambo, who finished in 53.34 seconds.
The men’s 100m attracted a strong field, with Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services sprinter Tapiwa Kawonge posting the fastest time of 10.40 seconds.
Fast Lane Crew’s Tashinga Magama was second in 10.59 seconds, followed by Redcliff’s Lawson in 10.70 seconds and
Fast Lane’s new recruit Mthabisi Kayombo in 10.96 seconds.
Andile Hleza, representing Sobukhazi High School, recorded the fastest time in the junior men’s 100m, clocking 10.42 seconds.
HOC’s Titus Chikonye followed in 10.65 seconds, while independent athlete Adonis Chipare ran 10.87 seconds.
Shalomi Machona of Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services won the women’s 100m in 12.22 seconds.
Freedom Banda also caught the eye with a notable performance, clocking eight minutes 58.65 seconds.
Questions continue to be asked about whether Leon Mukarati and Blessing Munyuki, who ran 48.39 and 48.71 seconds respectively in the 400m, could follow in the footsteps of former Sobukhazi High School athlete Thandazani Ndhlovu.
Ndhlovu, the national 300m record holder, attended the school and produced similar performances in his formative years. He is also a member of Zimbabwe’s national record-holding relay team and an African Senior Championships gold medallist.
Vinny Mtambo clocked 22.49 seconds in the men’s 200m to underline Fast Lane Crew’s strength in the sprint events.
However, he was overshadowed by junior athlete Mukarati, who posted an impressive 21.54 seconds. Hleza also impressed with 21.83 seconds, the same time recorded by Masvingo’s Needmore Mabika.
Blanket Mine’s Lucky Munsaka won the men’s 5 000m in 15 minutes 19.47 seconds, while Tulange Mudenda completed a successful outing by taking the women’s title in 19 minutes 15.96 seconds.
“They are on the right track, we are preparing for the Youth Games, so far so good,” said Shumba, who is also the chairman of Redcliff Athletics Club.
He said the Midlands province expected to have a provisional team in place when officials return to Bulawayo on July 18.
National competitions director and event co-ordinator Manuel Mpofu also highlighted the importance of the championships in gauging readiness for the National Youth Games.
Madanyika, the chairman of the host province, said the performances on display demonstrated the eagerness of young athletes to secure places in provincial teams for the National Youth Games.
