NAAZ PIN HOPES ON LOCAL ATHLETES

Ellina Mhlanga

Zimpapers Sport Hub

NATIONAL Athletics Association of Zimbabwe are pinning their hopes on home-based athletes to qualify for the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China, this year.

The competition is set for May 10 to 11.

It will comprise men’s and women’s 4x100m and 4x400m, plus the mixed 4x400m.

Thirty two teams will be entered for each of the events.

According to the qualification system, the top 16 teams from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games qualified for the World Relays and the hosts may enter one team in each event.

The remaining teams will be determined through the top lists in the qualification period that opened on January 1, 2024 and closes on April 13, 2025.

NAAZ president Tendayi Tagara said:

“We are having a challenge with athletes based in the US because the time when the relays are run in May, that’s when the summer season begins in America and it’s very tricky for the release of those athletes.

“We have tried through Brian Dzingai to assist us on that one but he is saying that it’s really a challenge because the universities are now focusing on the summer calendar and that’s when it is very busy.

“It’s very difficult to get the foreign based athletes. Our focus will be on the local based athletes and we will try to push.

“We have done it before with the local based athletes…we are working on that.”

Zimbabwe have been to the World Relays before with the 4x100m team and they will be out to secure one of the remaining slots in two events – 4x100m and 4x400m.