daniel chigunweEllina Mhlanga Senior Sports Reporter
ZRP Athletics Club coach Cephas Pasipamire has rallied his athletes to post good times when they compete in the Mr Pace Chitungwiza cross-country tomorrow.
Senior women and men will compete in the main 10km event while junior men and women are up for the 6km race.
Cadets (Under-15) and Under-12s will battle it out in 2km and 1km races respectively. The competition, set to take place at Leisure Centre, is also serving as a selection event for the national cross-country championships scheduled for February 19 in Marondera.
Pasipamire said he is expecting some improvements from his athletes after a promising start in the season-opener hosted by the Harare Athletic Board two weeks ago.
“We are fielding a team as ZRP. There are some athletes that did well at the previous event such as Rutendo Mapindu and Peter Chimukombe. So they are all competing at the event.
“I think they are going to improve their times,” said Pasipamire.
In the season-opener, Mapindu came first in the senior women 8km race and Chimukombe won the Under-18 men’s 4km.
However, this time around the seniors will compete in 10km.
Pasipamire was appointed into the national event coaches team for middle and long-distance runners.
They will lead a group of 15 athletes, including marathon runners seeking qualification to the World Championships, at a camp in Vumba next month.
And he said they are expecting some of the athletes such as Munyaradzi Jari, Olivia Chitate and Ethel Sibanda to compete in tomorrow’s cross-country event in Chitungwiza.
“We also agreed as the selected national coaches for middle and long distance runners, myself, (Benson) Chauke and (Collen) Makaza leading Vumba camp, that the athletes going for the camp can take part in this cross country event,” said Pasipamire.
Mr Pace club owner, Collen Makaza said with most of the top athletes expected to grace the competition they are looking forward to a bigger event.
“Now the competition is going to be high for this competition. We didn’t expect to have most of the top athletes to compete in this cross country.
“We are also expecting good times will be posted by these seasoned top athletes,” said Makaza.
Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service athlete, Jonathan Chinyoka, who won the HAB season-opener cross-country senior men’s race, will be out to get another positive result.
“I am preparing for the Two Oceans. So the first event held by HAB, I wanted to assess myself just to see if I have been making progress based on my training programme and it was a positive start.
“I am satisfied with the progress and I just want to use the cross-country events as part of my preparations.
“I am happy that most top athletes are going to compete on Sunday. It really helps with the level of competition and competing with the best it gives you a better assessment of yourself.
“So I am excited and looking forward to the event,” said Chinyoka.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter