Online Reporter
Ellina Mhlanga
Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIMBABWE men’s 4x400m relay team leaves for Lesotho today with little margin for error as they push to hold onto a World Relays qualifying spot that is already under threat.
Ranked 23rd in the world, the quartet sits just inside the cut for the top 24 teams that will line up in Gaborone on May 2 and 3.
With the qualification window closing on April 5, two races now stand between them and a place on the start list.
The first comes this weekend at the Maseru International Meet, followed by the Lefika International Relays in Botswana later this month.
Both races carry weight, with chasing nations closing in.
Team manager Gerren Muwishi, who also runs in the relay, believes the groundwork has been laid. What remains is execution.
“I think preparations have been good. The idea was for everyone to post strong individual times first, then we build the team from there,” said Muwishi.
He will line up alongside Leeford Zuze, Dennis Hove and Thandazani Ndhlovu, with Ropafadzo Mzondo travelling as reserve.
While the squad has not trained as a full unit, individual form has been encouraging.
Muwishi and Zuze have been working together at the University of Zimbabwe, while Hove and Ndhlovu have been sharpening up at their respective clubs. The times coming out of January have offered some confidence.
“Leeford ran two 45-second races early in the year. Dennis and Thandazani also posted some of the fastest times in the country. That gives us something to build on,” said Muwishi.
Zimbabwe’s current mark of 3 minutes 03.42 seconds has kept them in the qualification frame, but only just.
Mexico sit directly behind in 24th with 3 minutes 03.47 seconds, while Nigeria are close enough to break into the top bracket if they improve.
Zuze knows how tight the race has become.
“Where we are right now is not safe. If a couple of countries improve their times, we could be pushed out,” he said.
He has already opened his season in South Africa with runs of 45.62 and 45.73, and now shifts focus to the relay effort.
“We are aiming to lower our time and move up the rankings. That’s the only way to be sure,” he said. The team carries some experience from last year when Muwishi, Zuze and Hove were part of the squad that qualified for the previous World Relays edition. That experience may prove vital, especially now that the field has been trimmed.
Only 24 teams will line up in each event this year, down from 32 previously. The reduction has tightened the race and left little room for slip-ups.
The Lesotho trip marks the first of two decisive outings. By the time the team lines up in Botswana at the end of March, the picture will likely be clearer.
