Online Reporter
Ellina Mhlanga
Zimpapers Sports Hub
OVER the years, the stories have followed a familiar and painful path.
Former athletes, once celebrated and applauded, later struggle to make ends meet after the cheers fade.
In many cases, it is not a lack of talent that leaves them exposed, but the absence of planning, guidance and a life beyond the sport that once defined them.
Some lost their way through poor financial decisions.
Others never had the chance, or the support, to think beyond the next race, the next match and the next selection.
When a sporting career stalls or ends abruptly, too many athletes are left without a safety net.
These stories linger in communities and families, quietly shaping how sport itself is viewed, especially by parents who fear what comes after the final whistle.
It is this cycle the National Sports Academy, housed at Bindura University of Science Education (BUSE), is trying to break.
At the heart of the academy’s philosophy is a simple but demanding idea: Talent alone is not enough.
Athletes must be prepared for life in full, not just for competition.
That means classrooms alongside training tracks, life skills alongside medals and long-term thinking alongside short-term ambition.
The academy places equal weight on education and sport, encouraging young athletes to build academic foundations while they chase their sporting dreams.
Beyond that balance, they are taught how to navigate life in the public eye, how to handle pressure, attention and disappointment, and how to prepare for a future that may look very different from the one they imagined as teenagers.
Coach Cuthbert Nyasango, who joined the academy in 2020, sees this responsibility as central to his work.
“I always remind them to balance the two,” he said.
“Even when you are good in sport, make sure that you are pursuing your academics — a degree. You are pursuing both because it will affect you later.
“Yes, if you have a lot of money, then that’s better. But if the money is not up there, then you want to supplement the post-sport career life with some formal work.”
Nyasango’s own journey, shaped by mentorship and deliberate choices, informs the way he guides the athletes under his care.
He credits his former coach, Benson Chauke, for helping him see beyond the track and into life itself.
He also believes it is now his turn to pass that vision on.
A qualified athletics coach, Nyasango is currently pursuing a Sports Science degree with BUSE, a path that mirrors the message he delivers daily to his mentees.
“For me, it’s a journey because when I started running, I was just a boy coming from a village out there who was staying in Harare.
“But through sports experience, I was mentored in a much better way. I can say that because Mr Chauke was a mentor who really helped us to see life in a different way than maybe other colleagues who were in different clubs.
“He always emphasised about investment, about personal growth, about education. So, I didn’t have any challenges because I had my ‘O’ Level when I was still in school.
“Yes, I failed the first time, then I had to retake. I did my Advanced Level. I had the qualification to pursue academics. But I chose to pursue sports first and then later the other thing,” said Nyasango.
That lived experience fuels his passion for building athletes who can stand on their own long after their competitive days are done.
“We have a lot of athletes who are graduating because my role as a coach is to build life skills and I am passionate in that space because I don’t want to be associated with someone who will struggle after his career,” he added.
“We don’t want you to be in that space because it’s not a good space. It affects the growth of sports because parents will say this doesn’t really help . . .”
Support at the academy goes beyond the training field.
Athletes are guided on how to engage with the media, how to present themselves and how to manage the expectations that come with success.
Being part of a university environment gives them access to expertise across disciplines, something Nyasango believes is a major advantage.
“We are better off because we have resources in terms of human resources. We have people here in the university who can assist us in different ways — media, marketing. We have resources, especially on the human side, where we can assist these kids to grow in a better way,” he said.
For reigning National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe Female Junior Athlete of the Year Anesu Nyahuma, the impact of the academy has been both immediate and lasting.
“The National Sports Academy has helped me through training and academically because I have a sports scholarship, which made it possible for me to move from my former school, Kundayi High School, and join Chipindura, which is a good school,” she said.
“There are better educational facilities, and the coaches come to the school for some of our training sessions.
“The academy has helped me get exposure through a lot of competitions. I have been to several major competitions, especially this year.”
Her story reflects the academy’s broader model.
Talented athletes receive scholarships, most of them enrolling at Chipindura High School with a clear pathway that allows them to progress to university once they complete their secondary education.
For 15-year-old Tawananyasha Chisuse, who was part of the Under-17 COSAFA team, the academy has already turned childhood dreams into lived moments.
“We are not only focusing on the sport side but balancing both sport and education.
“Participating in the COSAFA tournament was something huge for me because since I was very young it was my wish to play in a big tournament and have my mom watch me in action,” said Chisuse.
“She came to watch me play and I was really excited. A lot has changed since I joined the academy, and my wish is to one day give back to the academy.
“My desire is to play for one of the country’s big clubs.”
His words carry the quiet confidence of someone who feels supported, seen and prepared.
Not just for the next match, but for the long road ahead.
In a sporting landscape often defined by short careers and fragile futures, the National Sports Academy is offering something rarer than trophies.
It is offering perspective. A reminder that success is not only measured by what happens on the field, but by the lives athletes are able to build once they step away from it.
Tinaye Agere