Online Reporter
Ellina Mhlanga
Zimpapers Sports Hub
AFTER three bronze medals at the African Youth Games in Angola, karate coach Winston Nyanhete believes Zimbabwe’s young fighters are moving forward, but he says progress will stall without tougher, regular competition.
Nyanhete is one of three coaches who travelled with the karate team to the Games, which end on Saturday. Karate events ran from last Wednesday to Friday, with Zimbabwe fielding seven athletes.
They are part of an 82-member national delegation competing across 12 sporting disciplines.
The emerging karatekas returned with three bronze medals from individual and team events, a return that pleased the technical bench while also sharpening its demands.
“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 individual competition, Bradley Kadzombe claimed bronze in the boys kumite +76kg category, while Rumbidzai Makamache added another medal with a third place finish in the girls kata. Makamache later teamed up with Makanaka Mulopa and Georgina Mhondera to secure a second bronze in the girls team kata.
For Nyanhete, the medals also told a deeper story of growth, especially for Kadzombe, who had fallen short of the podium at the African union Sports Council Region Five Youth Games in July. “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. Despite the encouraging signs, the coach believes limited exposure remains the biggest threat to sustained improvement.
“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 as 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.
The Games also come at a strategic moment for local karate, with Zimbabwe set to host the World Karate Federation Youth Camp in Harare next year.
Scheduled for March, the camp is viewed as a crucial bridge between regional promise and global standards.
“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 etc,” Nyanhete said.
The camp will be led by World and Olympic champions and will focus on skill development, mentorship and cultural exchange.
Mathew Masinge