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Grace Chingoma
Senior Sports Reporter
THE National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe are sending a small group of five athletes for the Africa Senior Championships to be staged at the Germain Commarmond Stadium in Bambous, Mauritius, from next week Wednesday.
The 15th Africa Championships will run from June 8 to 12. Team Zimbabwe is expected to leave on Monday for the senior championships.
NAAZ are still appealing for funds so that they are able to send two more athletes that are based in the US.
Sprinter Vimbai Masvorewa and high jumper Kudakwashe Chadenga were also supposed to travel to the Indian Ocean island nation but the association have failed to secure funding for the duo’s air tickets.
Ngoni Makusha, who went to the Tokyo Games, will take part in the 100m event together with Panashe Nhenga and Tapiwa Makarawu. Denzel Siamulela will participate in the 200m race while Garren Muwishi will represent the country in the 400m event.
Rising high jump star and Texas-based Chadenga’s trip to Mauritius hangs in the balance as NAAZ are yet to secure an air ticket for the South Plains College student.
Female athlete Masvorewa, who is also in the United States, has also failed to get a ticket from the local association.
NAAZ president Tendai Tagara said they are still running around to secure tickets for the two athletes.
“We are still running around to send a bigger team. We have managed to secure air tickets for five athletes. We were supposed to send seven athletes so the other two are based in the United States. Their tickets are a bit expensive compared to the local athletes who are traveling within the region.
“We are appealing for funds and we have sent an SOS to the Sports Commission,” said Tagara. Tagara says they are confident that the athletes will do very well in the Championships.
He said the junior athletes, Nhenga and Siamulela, are going on merit and he hopes that they will improve their times as they prepare for the World Junior Championships that will be held in Colombia in August.
“Our juniors run better times and they qualified for the African Championships. They are not just going as juniors. We hope that they will improve their times and build confidence to participate at a grand stage,” said Tagara.
In 2018, NAAZ sent a team of nine athletes for the track events. Makusha is the only athlete who was at the 2018 meet that was held in Nigeria who is going to participate in the Senior Championships again.
Although Zimbabwe did not pick a medal at the 2018 Championships, they made a huge impression at the meet where they fielded nine athletes at the continental championships with the relay team of Makusha, Tatenda Tsumba, Dickson Kapandura and Rodwell Ndlovu coming fourth in the final.
Sprinter Tsumba reached the final in the 200m event. Makusha came sixth in the 100m event in 10.45 seconds.
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