Online Reporter
Ellina Mhlanga
Zimpapers Sports Hub
AFTER completing their participation at the ongoing African Youth Games in Angola with a total of three medals, karate coach Winston Nyanhete says they are in the right direction, but would want more competition for the young athletes.
Nyanhete is one of the three coaches that travelled with the karate team for the Games that are running until Saturday.
For karate, the competition ran from last Wednesday to Friday, and Zimbabwe had seven participants.
They are part of the 82 athletes representing the country in 12 sporting disciplines at the Games. The upcoming karatekas claimed three bronze medals in individual and team events.
“I am overjoyed because our young athletes put in hours of training in their preparations. They listened to the coaches, and the results are evident in this event. It’s a step in the right direction,” said Nyanhete.
In the individual competition, Bradley Kadzombe got a bronze in the boys kumite +76kg while Rumbidzai Makamache weighed in with another medal when placing third in the girls’ kata. Makamache teamed up with Makanaka Mulopa and Georgina Mhondera to claim another bronze in the girls’ team kata.
Nyanhete said it was good to see improvement from the likes of Kadzombe, who rose from missing a podium finish at the African Union Sports Council Region 5 Youth Games in July to clinching a medal in Angola.
“I was happy to see Bradley on the podium. He missed out on a medal in Namibia for the regional Youth Games and now this, I was really happy for him as the coach.
“He is very happy that is all he talks about back in camp.
“He is already looking forward to the next Games and he understands how much work has to be put in to get to the top.
“The team performed very well. I was happy with their performance,” Nyanhete said. However, Nyanhete would want to see the young athletes being exposed to more competitions at this level.
“The key takeaways from the competition, we are in the right direction when it comes to our preparations for competition, but we need to push for more competition in Zimbabwe at this level as it gives our athletes the right exposure.
“Funding is a major issue, but we need to find a way around this in order to give our athletes the right experience,” said Nyanhete.
For karate the Games came at a time when they are also looking forward to another major event next year when they host the World Karate Federation Youth Camp in Harare. The camp is scheduled for March and it is another opportunity for the much-needed exposure for the young athletes.
“We have a big pool of young athletes right now and with the Zimbabwe National Karate Federation hosting the World Karate Federation Youth Camp next year in March this is the best platform to expose our team to that international standard that the athletes are lacking.
“Regionally, we have a good foothold performance-wise. But we have to attend more continental events and World Championships so that we catch up with the top countries in karate, like Egypt, Japan, France . . . ” Nyanhete said.
The camp will be led by World and Olympic champions focusing on skill development, mentorship and cultural exchange.
