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Grace Chingoma Senior Sports Reporter
SWIMMING is one of the sporting codes that is tipped to bring in a number of medals when Team Zimbabwe participate in the AUSC Region 5 Games in Malawi early next month.
The biennial regional Games will run from December 2 to 11 in Lilongwe.
And Zimbabwe would be among the 10 countries that will take part in the Games.
The Zimbabwean swimming team is made up of 20 girls and 20 boys swimmers. It consists of seasoned athletes as well as up-and-coming swimmers.
Olympian Donata Katai headlines the girls swimming team that also has Tanatswa Chitsurura, Riana Rollo, Mkhuseli Mahobele, Vhenekai Dhemba, Matida Musere and Mikayla Makwabarara.
Apart from representing the country at the Tokyo Games last year, the 18-year-old Katai also scooped three gold medals at the CANA Zone IV in Zambia. She came first in the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke. Katai also picked up silver medals in the 50m butterfly and 100m butterfly.
Chitsurura is also a medal hopeful in Malawi after she did well at the Lusaka meet where she settled for silver in the 200m freestyle and a bronze medal in the 50m freestyle.
Mahobele (17) is also expected to reproduce another podium finish after her exploits in Lusaka where she won gold in the 200m butterfly, silver medal in 100m butterfly and bronze medals in 200m backstroke and 200m butterfly.
Fifteen-year-old Musere won gold in the 50m backstroke at the CANA Zone IV in April. The youthful swimmer is tipped to win some medals in her races in Lilongwe.
Dhemba, who won two medals at the Zone IV, picking up a silver medal in the 50m breaststroke and a bronze medal in the 50m butterfly, is also among the medal hopefuls.
In the boys’ category, Cory Werrett, who participated at the FINA Junior World Championships in September as well as the CANA African Swimming Championships, is expected to rake in some medals for Team Zimbabwe in Malawi.
The 18-year-old had a medal haul of five medals at the African Swimming Championships, winning gold in the 50m breaststroke, silver medals in the 100m and 50m freestyles, 200m individual medley and 200m breaststroke. He also came third in the 100m breaststroke.
Benjamin Rorke, who won two gold medals at the CANA Zone IV and settling for silver medals in the 50m and 100m freestyles and a bronze medal in the 50m backstroke, is another medal hopeful in Malawi.
Another 18-year-old swimmer Ryan Franceys had a successful outing in Lusaka, winning a gold medal in the 400m freestyle and silver medals in the 100m backstroke and 200m freestyle.
Bjorn Mhlanga and Onesimus Ngwenya, who won silver medals in the 50m butterfly and 200m butterfly respectively, are also expected to compete strongly at the Region 5 Games.
Fifteen-year-old Khaya Vimba is another promising swimmer after he scooped a gold medal in the 50m breaststroke and a bronze medal in the 100m breaststroke at the CANA Zone IV.
Athletics is also another sporting code that has in the past contributed a number of medals at the Region 5 Games.
The sprinting duo of Panashe Nhenga and Denzel Simusiyalela went to the Junior Championships in Cali, Colombia, in August. Before that, Simusiyalela was part of the relay team that won a bronze medal at the Africa Senior Championships in Mauritius in June.
Zimbabwe Chef de Mission, Masimba Mutemaringa, said Team Zimbabwe is expected to go into camp early next week until November 28 when they leave for Malawi.
The organising committee has submitted their possible venues where they expect the athletes to camp and train for the Games that will be officially open on December 2. The Council of Ministers’ Meeting would be held on December 1.
Online Reporter