Online Reporter
Ellina Mhlanga
Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE future of Zimbabwean athletics is being shaped in school fields long before it reaches the big stage, and the link between school heads’ associations and the National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (NAAZ) is starting to show real results.
From primary school meets to national championships, that structure is quietly producing athletes who are not just competing, but stepping into regional and international arenas.
In Zimbabwe, the National Association of Primary Heads (NAPH) and the National Association of Secondary Heads (NASH) sit at the centre of school sport, running competitions that have become the first proving ground for talent.
There is still work to tighten the system across all sporting codes, but in athletics, the pathway is beginning to hold.
The recent NASH national track and field championships at Prince Edward School underlined that progress, drawing close to 1 000 athletes from all 10 provinces, with Mashonaland West retaining the title.
For many of those athletes, the meet is not the end point. It is the gateway.
Top performers now move into the NAAZ Junior Championships later this month at the University of Zimbabwe, where national teams for upcoming assignments begin to take shape.
NAAZ president Tendayi Tagara says the role played by school structures is central, not complementary.
“As a national association, we are very happy and we respect NASH and NAPH as the critical partners in the development of athletics,” he said.
“Remember NAPH host the kids athletics and the cadets. That’s seven years to 12 years; then the cadets, 13 to 15.
“That is a critical period for the development of athletics. I visited NAPH national championships; I was there in Bindura.
“It was a well-run and well-organised event by NAPH.
“NASH host the youth and the juniors, that’s where elite performances start, so as an association we value them.”
That layered system, from school level through zonal, district and provincial competitions to the national stage, is designed to test and filter talent over time.
But Tagara believes there is still room to open the door wider.
“Remember NASH starts from school, from school to zonal, zonal to circuit, circuit to district, district to province, province to national, all those levels the athletes are going through a mill,” he said.
“They only bring one athlete per event, but at our national championship we want to see all the top 10 in each province per event to make it big and better and give opportunities to those who came second or third at the provincial level. So, it’s critical.
“We then also bring juniors that are in colleges, private schools and other types of schools, but we want to give them opportunity.”
At the schools level, there are also signs the system is evolving beyond just competition.
National head in charge of athletics Sipo Kumalo says provinces are beginning to tap into institutional support, with some schools working with the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) and Bindura University of Science Education to improve training methods.
That shift towards a more scientific approach, backed by NAAZ-led coaching and officiating courses for teachers, is starting to lift standards.
“Some institutions have gone further to involve NUST and the Bindura university in the training of their athletes,” said Kumalo.
“They are using a scientific approach to the training of athletes, and that has made a mark in improvement in all provinces.
“Also, NAAZ are playing a major role in training our teachers to be good coaches, and that has also improved the strength of provincial teams.
“We would like to thank NAAZ for that aspect of assisting in the training of coaches and officiating officials. Related to talent from schools, there are some athletes who are doing very well, especially from rural setups.
That partnership is now visible in the calibre of athletes coming through the system.
Under-20 boys 100m champion Trey Chimunya, girls champion Shalom Sendi, Arab Chimuchembere and long-distance runner Tulange Mudenda are among those who have moved from schools competition to national duty.
They featured for Zimbabwe at the Region 5 Games in Namibia and the Confederation of African Athletics Under-18 and Under-20 Championships in Nigeria last year.
Mudenda has since gone a step further, representing the country at the World Cross Country Championships in the United States earlier this year.
Kumalo says those stories are no longer isolated cases.
“We have had learners after competing at NASH level, or during that period, they are still learners, they have actually participated in world competitions,” said Kumalo.
“We have, for example, Derick Matutu, from Zezani High School. Last year he went to participate in China, at the World Relays in Guangzhou.
“He also participated in Nigeria, just mentioning this, the few learners who come to mind.
“But there are several participating at international level. NASH plays a major role in actually tapping and identifying talent, and motivating those with talent to actually pursue athletics.”
The system is not perfect yet. Access, depth and consistency across provinces still need work.
But the pathway is clearer now, and for Zimbabwean athletics, that might be the most important gain, a pipeline that starts in schools and is finally beginning to hold all the way to the top.
