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Ellina Mhlanga, ellina.mhlanga @zimpapers.co.zw
AS the World Relays draw closer, the National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe yesterday revealed the men’s 4x400m team will have the final phase of their preparations in Botswana.
The world event to be staged on the African soil for the first time is scheduled for May 2 and 3 in Gaborone, Botswana.
Zimbabwe ranked 13th on the Top List to qualify for the meet.
The quartet of captain Gerren Muwishi, Thandazani Ndhlovu, Dennis Hove and Leeford Zuze are already stepping up their preparations ahead of their departure for Botswana.
And NAAZ president Tendayi Tagara revealed at a press conference that also served as a send-off, the team will have their camp in Botswana.
They will leave for Gaborone on April 23 to compete in the Botswana Golden Grand Prix on April 26, which will be the final leg of their preparations.
After the Golden Grand Prix, the quartet will remain in camp in Botswana until the World Relays.
“The guys will run at the Golden Grand Prix in Botswana.
“What we have done as a federation is to say, instead of coming back to Zimbabwe, let’s camp in Botswana.
“We are happy as an association that we have qualified, not just qualified, but we have qualified in the top tier of the relays.
“It shows that there is a great performance from our athletes,” said Tagara.
Tagara believes that with notable improvement, which saw the team breaking a national record that had been standing for almost three decades, they can expect a good performance in Botswana.
The team posted a time of 3 minutes 00.69 seconds on their way to sealing qualification last month, surpassing the 3 minutes 00.79 seconds that was set in 1997.
“This has happened during my lifetime, that a 29-year record is broken by these boys, and they are very committed.
“As a federation, we expect more from our athletes.
“Again, we are sending a team that includes three athletes running a 45, which is a good indication that they will run very good times.
“With this time, I can see the boys can reach the finals, and if we get to the finals, that is a bonus for us, because we will be automatically qualified for the World Championships in Beijing next year,” said Tagara.
The team got a shot in the arm for their participation, with the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee chief executive, Marlene Gadzirayi, announcing they will provide air tickets for their trip to Botswana.
With just two years before the next Olympic Games in Los Angeles, United States, ZOC have taken a keen interest in athletes with a strong potential to make the cut for the global sports showpiece and has been helping different associations in various ways.
“On behalf of the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee, I just want to express our excitement at the feat that the relay team showed as they represented Zimbabwe.
“That is something that, as the Olympic Committee, we keep looking forward to.
“And obviously in terms of our sport priorities, athletics is number one and so, we are proud as the Olympic Committee to have supported the team when they travelled to Lesotho and Botswana.
“And I also just want to announce, I know the NAAZ president may not know this as yet, but we will fund their flights to the World Relays to and from as part of, you know, a broader vision for the qualification to the Olympics,” said Gadzirayi.
Muwishi said: “It has been a long journey, but they are happy to be part of the competition in Botswana. I think the journey’s been long.
“We have been travelling for weeks consecutively by bus…It takes a toll on the body. But the boys have been able to push themselves regardless.
“Preparation-wise, we are still okay, but we can be better.
“Like the president hinted, we are going for a mini-camp in Botswana before the World Relays, and that should go a long way in increasing the team bonding as well as helping us work on the small things that are going to help us get our time down.”
Tagara said they are grateful to ZOC and other partners who have come on board to support the team.
Online Reporter