Gift Chigwere championships receive massive response

Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter

OVER 400 athletes have registered for the Gift Chigwere National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (Naaz) Junior Track and Field Championships to be held at the White City Stadium tomorrow.

The competitions will be used to select athletes who will represent the country at the Africa Junior Championships slated for April 29 to May 3 in Zambia.

Bulawayo Athletics Board (Bab), who are the hosts have indicated that all is in place ahead of the competitions.

“We have received an overwhelming response from athletes which goes to show how big the event is. We expect athletes to give it their all as this will also serve as a qualifying event for the Africa Junior Championships,” said Bab chairperson Watson Madanyika.

Events on the cards include 100m, 200m, 400m, 1 500m, 3 000m, 5 000m, 100m hurdles and 4x100m relay as well as long jump, high jump, triple jump, javelin and discus.

The event is being sponsored by Baldmin Holdings, whose founder and managing director is Costa Takawira, a former athlete. Bankrollers have offered new incentives for the top female, male athletes in 400m as well as the 1 500m races.

Incentives on offer include scholarships for those who meet set qualifying standards, cash prizes and school fees vouchers.

Baldmin Holdings, a firm with interests in mining and medical supplies, will, through their foundation, fund three athletics competitions that will be held in Harare, Bulawayo and Mashonaland Central respectively.

The late Gift Chigwere is a former teacher at Allan Wilson High School in Harare who identified Takawira when he was still running at primary school and offered him a place at Allan Wilson Technical Boys High.

It was at this school that Takawira did Form One up to Six.

Besides Takawira, the late Chigwere also took United States of America-based Philimon Hanneck (formerly known as Harineki) to Allan Wilson from Rakodzi in Marondera.

Hanneck represented Zimbabwe at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics before he switched his allegiance to the US in 1999.

A scholarship was organised for Takawira by the late Chigwere with the then City of Harare which assisted Takawira’s parents to meet his education expenses.