Chronicle Editor
Ellina Mhlanga, Harare Bureau
NATIONAL Athletics Association of Zimbabwe director for coaching, talent identification and development, Lisimati Phakamile has expressed disappointment after most athletes missed the National Track and Field Championships at White City Stadium, in Bulawayo on Saturday.
The national coaching department had hoped to identify athletes for upcoming major competitions.
Phakamile said there were a few good results posted but their major concern was the failure by most athletes to attend which affected their selection process.
“The competition was attended by mostly Southern Region clubs and schools maybe owing to the current transport costs and other factors.
“We had a few good results from both track and field events with notably a 2.05m jump by Mathew Msamanyada in the senior men high jump and Sipho Moyo of Ihlosi club sprinting 48.72seconds in the senior men 400m.
“Prissy Mpofu leaped 5.58m to win the junior women long jump event and Raymond Ngavi of Victoria Falls Mosi Striders clocking 10.62 seconds in 100m.
“Other than these few notable events it was not as good as we expected. If compared to last season very few athletes attended and this disturbed our process to select and identify athletes for the major events.
“We hope that clubs will pull resources together and try to make it to the next meet to gauge and attempt to qualify,” said Phakamile.
The athletics mother body are seeking to field teams at the Confederation of African Athletics Under-18 and Under-20 Championships in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire in April.
They have the World Championships to be staged in Doha, Qatar between September and October.
Bulawayo Athletics Board chairman Manuel Mpofu, said there were some improvements in the middle and long distance events but encouraged sprinters to push for better times if they are entertaining any hopes of making the grade for other major events.
“There is improvement from the first competition but these guys they need to work very hard because their times like 100m, 200m and 400m the qualification times are very tight. So they need to push, they need to work.
“They need to go back to the drawing board and work very hard so that they meet those standards, the A standard and the B standard. But yes they are improving by each competition. But those standards they need to work very hard so that they make the grade.
“But I know definitely we will have some of the locally-based athletes who are going to qualify, maybe for the world jumps or these Under-18s and Under-20s, some of them definitely they are going to qualify for 100m, 200m and 400m. But so far they need to put maximum effort so that they can get those times,” said Mpofu.
Some of the highlights at the meet came in the 10 000m combined men’s event where Dumo Mkhwananzi emerged winner in 33minutes 15.14seconds.
Trust Chidomaya was the first to cross the finish line 5 000m in 15minutes 52.31seconds and Mkhwananzi was second in this race in 16minutes 39.53seconds.
While Faith Nyathi was first in the combined women’s 1 500m in 5minutes 16.07seconds.
Most of the athletes will be shifting their focus to the national cross country competition on February 9.
Online Reporter