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Ellina Mhlanga Senior Sports Reporter
NATIONAL Athletics Association of Zimbabwe director for coaching, talent identification and development, Lisimati Phakamile, says long-distance runners remain their major hopefuls for better results at major competitions.
With the attention shifting to the next year’s World Championships and the 2024 Olympic Games, the athletics coach conceded a lot still needs to be done for local athletes to reach podium performance.
He highlighted lack of investment in sport as the main stumbling block to Zimbabwean athletes’ matching the international standards.
The country continues to struggle at continental and international competitions.
In 2019, Zimbabwe had four marathon runners – Munyaradzi Jari, Isaac Mpofu, Ngonidzashe Ncube and Rutendo Nyahora – at the world meet. But the country needs to start looking at not just participating but also producing good results.
“Our marathon runners are very good hopefuls that we might have getting us to the elite performance or standard performance.
“But going back to the factors that I have mentioned before, factors that include investment, our athletes need to camp in time. Our athletes need to get all the monies they can get for them to survive, for them to train at altitude, for them to train professionally and train daily for the coming two or three years to Paris (2024 Olympic Games).
“So if we don’t get that we might as well forget about a podium performance from our athletes, be it athletics or any other sport,” said Phakamile.
Phakamile said there is need to create an environment where athletes earn a living through sport which enables them to focus on training to reach the expected standards.
Online Reporter