Online Reporter
Ellina Mhlanga
Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIMBABWE has had Olympians, runners, sprinters and marathoners, but when it comes to throwers, especially women, that conversation has often gone quiet.
Kimberly Kachambwa wants to change that.
At 18, the former Watershed College learner is chasing more than medals.
She is taking aim at one of Zimbabwean athletics’ least travelled roads, forcing her way into a space where female throwers have rarely carried the country’s biggest hopes.
For Kachambwa, the dream is no longer distant. It is demanding. And if she gets there, the Olympics would not just be personal success; it would be a statement.
“I feel like every time when I was at school, when I would go to the chapel and then would receive our awards, Mrs Fiona Benson, my previous head, would always say, ‘I would want to see you at the Olympics’.
“Back then, when it started, I thought it’s too much of a dream and then later on I thought about it.
“That’s when I started going to these international competitions. And then I was like, maybe the Olympics might not be a far-fetched dream.” For years, Zimbabwe’s athletics identity has largely leaned towards track events.
The spotlight has often found sprinters, middle-distance runners and marathon athletes.
The throwing circle has not always enjoyed the same attention. For girls, even less. That reality is exactly what has sharpened Kachambwa’s hunger.
“I am probably planning towards going to the Olympics at least once because I have realised with Zimbabwe, it’s usually rare to see throwers going to the Olympics,” she said.
“It’s usually track athletes or marathon runners. So, I would love to make a change. Also, for the girls, it’s usually less girls going there. I would love to go to the Olympics as a thrower and as a lady as well.”
This is not ambition built from nowhere. Her journey started in Grade Three at Prospect Primary School, where shot put first introduced her to the sport.
But somewhere along the way, discus became more than another event. It became her strongest voice.
By 2019, she had already broken into the COSSASA Games team for Eswatini, a moment that broadened her world.
Then came the medals. At just 15, she won silver in discus at the 2023 Confederation of African Athletics Under-18 and Under-20 Championships in Zambia, announcing herself beyond Zimbabwe’s borders.
In 2024, she doubled down on home soil, winning gold in both discus and shot put at the COSSASA Games in Bulawayo. She followed that with bronze at the African Union Sports Council Region 5 Youth Games in Namibia before stepping onto the senior stage and claiming discus gold at the Southern Region Championships at the University of Zimbabwe.
That senior debut mattered. Not because it confirmed arrival. But because it suggested Zimbabwe could be looking at more than another promising junior.
It hinted at an athlete trying to shift an old pattern.
“I feel like as I was younger, I always knew that I was sort of stronger than the rest. So, I think that’s why I ventured into throwing,” she said. “Then I realised it’s actually going well.
“And usually in Zimbabwe, there aren’t really role models for female throwers. So, I would love to pave the way so that children out there will believe that it can be done.”
That may be where Kachambwa’s story becomes bigger than athletics. Zimbabwe has talent, but certain disciplines often fight harder for visibility, resources and belief.
Female throwers sit in that battle.
Kachambwa is not just pursuing distance now; she is pushing against neglect, against limited history, against a system where field events can sometimes feel secondary. Her latest gold medal at the National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe Junior and Senior Interprovincial Championships was another reminder that her rise is not slowing.
Now the target sharpens again — qualification for the World Athletics Under-20 Championships in the United States. And beyond that, the Olympic standard.
National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe youth and junior head coach Briad Nhubu believes what separates Kachambwa is not simply talent but consistency.
“Kimberly is an athlete I owe a lot of respect because of her courage and determination to continue training hard and perform well,” he said. “Since her youthful years, she has always done us good whenever we call her in for any national assignment.
“So, generally, she has proved to be very consistent in performance and training.”
Consistency – that word may matter most. Because Zimbabwean sport has seen many promising young names.
Potential alone is never enough. The real fight is staying power.
For now, Kachambwa’s success has been made possible through backing from coaches like John Nyakonda; support from her parents, teachers and schools; and performances that keep strengthening her case.
But what makes her story compelling is not just what she has already won. It is what she is trying to break. A barrier. A pattern. A silence. Zimbabwe does not often look to female throwers when discussing global athletics ambition.
Kachambwa wants that conversation to start now.
