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Ellina Mhlanga
Senior Sports Reporter
AS Zimbabwe celebrate 41 years of Independence this month, there is need to also reflect on some of the country’s outstanding sports personalities that made a lasting impression on the sporting landscape of this nation.
Among those sportspersons is Evan Stewart, the former Olympic diver, who represented Zimbabwe at international competitions, winning medals for the country.
His achievements remain etched in the history books of sport and will forever be cherished together with those of other athletes that rose from this country and made it among top athletes not only in Zimbabwe but also on the international arena.
Stewart won gold in the one-metre springboard event at the 1994 World Championships in Rome, Italy, to write his own piece of history in Zimbabwean sport post-Independence.
Not only that, the performance at the World Championships saw the Zimbabwean diver becoming the first African to be crowned a World Champion in diving.
He was one of the few divers from this country that built the country’s reputation in the diving world.
In 1998, Stewart clinched gold at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur in the one-metre springboard as he posted another top performance.
He had earlier in 1994, picked silver and bronze in the three-metre and one-metre springboard events at the Club Games in Victoria, Canada. Stewart made three consecutive appearances at the Olympic Games in 1992, 1996 and in 2000.
Although he had wanted to win a medal at the Olympics, things did not go as he wished.
But Stewart’s achievements in diving remain the best for the country. At the 1995 All-Africa Games, hosted by Zimbabwe, Stewart captured two gold medals. Stewart’s father, Rob, was among the pioneers of the sport in the country, and with such a background the former began competing internationally at a young age.
He was 12 years-old when he started competing, bringing attention to the country.
It is such achievements that continue to inspire different generations and will always be there to motivate the upcoming athletes as they realise anything is possible in spite of one’s age, background and circumstances.
In 1996, in an interview ahead of the Olympic Games, Stewart was quoted by SunSentinel saying being a one-man team, sometimes he felt the weight but that did not deter him from making an impact in the sport.
“As long as I can remember I have always been diving. “The hardest part is not having any teammates when I go away to meets. It’s just me, by myself. Sometimes I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders because I am a one-man team. I don’t want to let them down. I’m proud of my country.” For Stewart it was like a family affair when it came to making history and putting the country’s name on the map as his mother, Anthea Stewart, won a gold medal with the women’s field hockey “Golden Girls” in 1980 at the Summer Olympic Games in Moscow.
It was the country’s first medal at the Olympic Games. While Stewart’s success continue to be an inspiration, the sad part is that the sport that saw him making a name for himself and the country is now a dying sport, with nothing much to talk about. And as the nation celebrates 41 years of Independence, it is important to also reflect on the success stories and try to find ways to ensure there is continuity of such stories to inspire the future generations of this country.
Online Reporter