Online Reporter
Ellina Mhlanga-Zimpapers Sports Hub
AS Zimbabwe’s men 4x400m relay team step onto the track at the Maseru International Meet early this evening, they will be hoping to rise to the challenge in their efforts to punch their ticket to next month’s World Relays.
The meet to take place at Setsoto Stadium, is part of the World Athletics Continental Tour Challenge, and athletes from 12 countries are expected to feature.
Zimbabwe’s team is made up of Gerren Muwishi, Thandazani Ndhlovu, Dennis Hove, Leeford Zuze and Ropafadzo Mzondo. Mzondo, an upcoming athlete, comes in as a reserve.
Speaking ahead of their departure for Lesotho Ndhlovu expressed confidence in their build-up to the competition.
Prior to their departure they had been training at their respective bases, with some of them having competed in individual events in South Africa.
“Yes, this is our first big test as a team this year, but we have been communicating and getting to know each other’s strengths.
“Preparation has been going well. I have been focusing on staying healthy and I am feeling confident going into the Maseru International Meet,” said Ndhlovu.
Zimbabwe are chasing qualification to the World Relays due to take place on May 2 and 3 in Gaborone, Botswana.
Twenty-four teams will be entered for each of the six events on the programme at the World Relays – the women’s 4x100m, women’s 4x400m, men’s 4x100m, men’s 4x400m, mixed 4x100m and 4x400m relays.
The top eight teams from last year’s Tokyo World Championships will qualify for entry, while the hosts may enter one team in each event regardless of the entry conditions.
The remaining teams are determined through Top Lists in the qualification period that opened on January 1, 2025 and is running until April 5, 2026.
Zimbabwe are hoping to make it through the Top Lists.
They go into today’s race ranked 24 with a time of 3 minutes 03.42 seconds.
But with the rankings regularly changing as countries push to secure qualification in the remaining few weeks, anything can happen.
And they know they need to go for a better time to improve their ranking and seal qualification in the two competitions on their programme.
Today’s meet is the first of two events, with the second one being the Lefika International Relays scheduled for next weekend in Botswana.
Zimbabwe will also be banking on the experience of Muwishi, Hove and Zuze, who formed the core of the previous team that qualified and competed at last year’s World Relays staged in China.
