Mash West, Harare dominate athletics championships

HARARE, Mashonaland East and Mashonaland West exposed the gulf between provinces that take athletics as a first term event and those that have it all year round when they dominated the National Association of Secondary School Heads (Nash)

Track and Field Championships at Mosi Oa Tunya High School, Victoria Falls yesterday.

The three provinces dominated the podium with some telling performances, taking most of the valuable medals in a very exciting event.

Manicaland, Matabeleland North and the Midlands continued to sing the blues and all blamed their failure on being active only in the first term.

Most coaches spoken to said they had found the going tough because their athletes were not adequately prepared for the event.

The heat made matters worse and Bulawayo athletes, a majority of them who had been training on a tartan track could not manage running on a clay soil surface.

A good number fearing blisters opted to run putting on stockings, which were not giving a good grip to allow the better season.

Mashonaland West won 19 gold, five silver and seven bronze medals to win the championships.
Harare Province were second with 15 gold, 12 silver and 16 bronze.

In numbers, Harare had the highest with 43 compared to winners Mashonaland West who had 31 but more value positions.

Mashonaland East won 14 gold, 17 silver and eight bronze for a total of 39 medals.

Manicaland occupied the bottom position with five gold, eight silver and 10 bronze as hosts Matabeleland North took ninth position with five gold, 13 silver and eight bronze.

Bulawayo were happy to have doubled the quality medals compared to last year as they had six gold, six silver and eight bronze just below the Midlands who tallied six gold, eight silver medals and seven bronze.

Matabeleland North moved off the bottom three to fifth position with nine gold, nine silver and a total of 16 bronze.

A new middle distance princess may have been born in Mercy Nyamoto of Mashonaland East, who won the senior girls’ 5000m in a time of 18 minutes 29.40 seconds.

Running in high temperatures and humidity, she relegated Esnat Ndlovu of Bulawayo Province to second position in 18 minutes 45.69 seconds in a finish in which she pipped Otilia Smoke of just at the death in 18 minutes 54.92 seconds.

Mashonaland East’s Matumba Vallon won the girls’ Mashonaland East,she was first in 10 minutes 43.56 seconds, with Mashonaland Central’s Martha Chipuriro taking silver in 11 minutes 02.62 seconds and Miriam Sibanda of Matabeleland South won bronze 11 minutes 11.38 seconds.

In the girls’ Under-15 Grace Mudonhi of Bulawayo claimed gold in the girls’ 300m hurdles in 48.66 seconds as Michelle Ndlovu of Matabeleland South was second in 49.53 seconds and Trish Shoshore took bronze in 49.72 seconds.

In one of the most exciting events in the boys’ Under-21 100m, Brendon Muvimi was first in 10.47 seconds for a Mashonaland West gold. Trevor Tauya of Manicaland picked silver 10.48 seconds and Moses Maodzwa of Harare in 10.51 who collected bronze.

In the girls’ Under-21 category, gold in the 100m was taken by Mashonaland Central’s Linnette Zembe in a time 12.47 seconds, Matabeleland South’s Olivia Lunga was second in 12.69, Harare’s Mitchelle Wafawanaka was third in 12.72 seconds.

Mashonaland West took gold in the 200m for Under-21, Thelma Manjijiwa of Mashonaland West in 26.16 seconds, Linnette Zembe added silver for Mashonaland Central in 27.41, Wafawanaka was on the podium in 27.44 for third spot.

Harare Province Nash chairperson, Dr Cassiah Rayo, who also heads Queen Elizabeth , was happy with the Girl Child’s participation.

She said athletics afforded the Girl Child many opportunities in later life.

Host headmaster and also National Association of Secondary School Heads (Athletics), Roland Sibanda described the competition and event as a huge success.

“Happy to have hosted Zimbabwe in an incident free environment. We are so excited to have hosted Zimbabwe at our school for the sporting extravaganza and the time they took to mix sport and leisure,” said Sibanda.

Sibanda thanked the Provincial Education Director, Jabulani Mpofu for organizing that all athletes and accompanying officials visit the Mighty Victoria Falls at a reduced charge.

All teams visited the Falls in a big boost for sports tourism.