Midlands athletes off the blocks

themselves, hopes for fresh talent are high.
Even in other provinces, it has been a while since youthful cross-country athletes like Thandiwe Nyathi of Gwanda were unearthed.
Zhou and Goremusandu emerged and dominated the annual events and the Zimbabwe National Youth Games for at least three years.
It would seem the shift from the Under-18 to Under-20 age-restriction for the Zimbabwe National Youth Games after the 2009 edition adversely affected the identification of new talent as provinces moved focus to mentoring those already captured.
Speaking from Mutora in Gokwe where his board was conducting a Level One coaching clinic for 30 participants, Shumba said he expected new stars to emerge.
“It has been almost two years since we plucked our last gem Sithulisiwe Zhou who in a single year made a name and even represented the nation at the inaugural Youth Olympics in Singapore. We expect new stars to emerge from the provincial championships this weekend.
“There is greater need for us to be on the lookout for new talent to guarantee success for the province and the nation. This will be another opportunity also to gauge the success of several clinics we conducted as a province,” said Shumba.
The provincial championships are also expected to rekindle rivalry for the province’s top names Kudakwashe Shoko from Shabanie, Virimai Juwawo of Gaths Mine, Kwekwe’s Luwis Masunda and the Ziscosteel duo of Elmore Sibanda and Ngonidzashe Ncube in the men’s section.
Matabeleland South is the other province conducting the provincial finals today.