Chronicle Editor
Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
TEAM Bulawayo will use today’s National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (Naaz)’s track and field championships at White City Stadium to prepare for next month’s National Cross-Country Championships.
Kwekwe will host the National Cross-Country Championships on February 9.
At least 600 athletes are expected to converge in Bulawayo this morning for the track and field competitions hoping to perform well and qualify for different national teams that will compete at regional and international meets in 2019.
Manuel Mpofu, the Bulawayo Athletics Board (Bab) chairman, said the provincial team that will participate in Kwekwe and has been training under veteran runner Trust Chidomaya will use today’s event to measure their level of preparedness.
“As Bulawayo we are excited to host the Naaz Track and Field Championships. These present an opportunity for our cross-country team to measure their level of preparedness for the national meet in two weeks’ time. The senior men’s team will race in the 10 000m event, with the girls and boys’ Under-20 squads participating in either the 5 000m or 10 000m races,” said Mpofu.
Bulawayo are the defending national crosscountry champions.
They selected an 11-member squad for the cross-country championships coached by Chidomaya of ZRP Fairbridge and Untibile Maphosa of Super Stars Athletics Club. Chidomaya is part of the 11 athletes that will represent the city in Kwekwe.
The junior women’s category (Under-20) team is made up of City Meats’ Faith Nyathi and Yvonne Mutare of Ihlosi Athletics Club, with the junior men’s squad is composed of ZRP Fairbridge’s Michael Chimhuka, Sparrows’ Freedom Banda and Disciple Ncube of Ihlosi Athletics Club.
Chidomaya will lead the senior men’s team that has ZRP Fairbridge’s Ngonidzashe Ncube, Sparrow’s trio of Danford Mlilo, Dumo Mkhwananzi and Thando Maphosa, as well as independent runner Xolani Ncube.
Athletes to be selected from Naaz events will compete at international competitions such as the World Cross Country Championships to be held on March 30 in Denmark, African Junior Championships that runs from April 16-20 in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire, as well as the International Athletics Association Federation (IAAF) World Relays set for Tokyo, Japan, on May 11 and 12.
In September and October, selected athletes will participate in Qatar’s World Championships and the All-Africa Games set for Morocco. — @ZililoR
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