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Justine Mapangisana : Sports Reporter
REIGNING Night of Champions title holder, Blessing Saunyama, is looking forward to capitalise on the absence of steely Brighton Mazikana to clinch this year’s edition of the Mr Manicaland title.
Defending champion, Mazikana opted out of the Mr Manicaland contest after dominating the event since 2009.
“I think I have come a long way and I feel this should be my time. I know there will be tough competition and all the other guys will be going for the big prize, but I am confident that I will make it,” said Saunyama.
While bodybuilders in Mutare are sweating it out ahead of the annual contest, organisers of this year’s edition of the exciting Mr and Ms Manicaland bodybuilding contest are appealing for sponsorship from the corporate community and individuals for the event to take off as scheduled.
The completion slated for October 15 at Mutare Hall (formerly Queens’ Hall) might suffer a stillbirth if a sponsor does not chip in and come on board in time for the event.
Mr and Ms Manicaland is a dress rehearsal competition ahead of the much-hyped Mr and Ms Zimbabwe to be held in Harare on October 22 where the Manicaland champion, Brighton Mazikana, will be participating and expecting to bring the coveted prize to Mutare.
Farai “Talawa” Kasecha, the chairman of the Manicaland Amateur Body Building Fitness Association (MABBFA), is appealing to the business fraternity to come on board and help in seeing the success of the tournament.
He said this would go a long way in trying to raise the sport of bodybuilding in the province.
“We are passionately appealing to the corporate community to come in and assist us as we seek to promote bodybuilding in Manicaland. We are fully aware of the economic hardships that we are going through as a country, but we are saying if other sporting genres are finding a way out to get sponsorship, why not bodybuilding?
“We have a lot of talent in Manicaland and this can be evidenced by the exploits of Brighton Mazikana in national competitions. We have many more who can make a name for themselves through bodybuilding.
“Since Mr and Ms Manicaland is meant to be a pre-contest ahead of the Mr and Ms Zimbabwe, it will be a boost and a motivating factor to the participants who will be participating at the national level of the competition.
“If we manage to get sponsorship, this will help with the prize money and for the successful hosting of the tournament,” said Kasecha.
The Mr and Ms Zimbabwe tournament is expected to attract a huge turnout in both the male and female category due to changes in terms of participants apparel which now allow the wearing of summer shorts on the podium.
There are a number of participants who are expected to take part at the national level of the tournament, the likes of Eddy Kodzamaoko, Knowledge Mudzingwa and Blessing Saunyama in the middleweight category.
Brighton Mazikana has already booked a berth to participate in the Mr and Ms Zimbabwe heavyweight category.
Online Reporter