Online Reporter
Innocent Kurira,Zimpapers Sports Hub
THERE were big smiles and loud applause in Bindura yesterday as veteran athletics scribe Lovemore Dube was celebrated for decades of dedicated sports reporting at the Naaz awards ceremony.
Dube, who is the Zimpapers Sports Hub deputy editor, walked away with the Veteran Athletics Journalist award, a fitting tribute to a man whose byline has been stamped on track and field stories for generations.
He said the recognition was not his alone but a reflection of a strong newsroom culture built over the years.
“I owe it to the team I work with and those before this generation who asserted Zimpapers as the leading media house in the coverage of athletics. All the painstaking patience by people like Geshom Nyathi, Clemence Marijeni, David Ncube, Shaun Orange and Clayton Peel is being rewarded, hoping athletics can leap to zenith heights for all of us to enjoy and celebrate,” said Dube.
For many in the athletics community, Dube’s award is long overdue. They credit him with giving athletes from the smallest clubs to the biggest stages the spotlight they deserved, often travelling dusty roads and braving long competitions to ensure stories reached the nation.
As the flashes popped and tributes poured in, it was clear the veteran journalist’s influence stretches far beyond the written word. His mentorship, passion and insistence on accuracy have shaped countless young reporters who now carry the torch.
Bindura’s ceremony turned into a moment of reflection and pride for Zimbabwean athletics, with many calling Dube’s recognition a victory for sports journalism as a whole.
