adminSikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
NKAYI High School has stated its readiness to play host to the 2017 edition of the Matabeleland North National Association of Secondary School Heads (Nash) inter-districts track and field athletics finals today and tomorrow.
The other six districts arrived in Nkayi yesterday to join the hosts and a technical meeting was held last night as the province looks forward to selecting a strong team for the national finals set for Lomagundi College in Chinhoyi, Mashonaland West province, from March 30-31.
Hwange, Binga, Tsholotsho, Umguza, Bubi, Lupane and Nkayi districts make up Matabeleland North province.
“We are ready to host the competition. Chances are high that we are going to claim the top spot as Nkayi district,” said the district’s head in charge of athletics Victor Sibanda.
He said a 100-member Nkayi team had been in camp since Sunday and morale was high.
Sibanda’s counterpart in Bubi district Cain Ncube said his team had been camping at Inyathi High School, but bemoaned the incessant rains that pounded the area which prevented them from holding proper training sessions.
“We have 80 athletes representing our district. Our confidence levels though are not that high due to rains that affected our training sessions, but we will give it our best shot and anyone undermining us can do that at their own peril,” said Ncube.
In last year’s national finals held in Chiredzi, Matabeleland North finished second from the bottom with five gold, six silver and nine bronze medals, but expectations are high that they will put up an improved performance this year.
Phathisa Ngwabi, arguably the best athlete to emerge from Nkayi district who represented the country in a number of competitions, is expected to grace the two-day meet in a move aimed at inspiring the young athletes.
Ngwabi is a former Hompane Secondary School pupil and his return home comes just days after he qualified for the ZITF Coca-Cola Four-Minute Mile semi-finals when he ran under the cut-off time of four minutes 31 seconds at White City Stadium on Saturday.
He crossed the line in four minutes 27.33 seconds to join 16 other runners that have already qualified for the semi-finals of the event.
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