There is room for improvement: Nhubu

Ellina Mhlanga

Senior Sports Reporter

NATIONAL Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (NAAZ) head coach for youth and junior athletes Briad Nhubu says thorough preparation remains key if they are to compete against some of the world’s best.

Nhubu made the remarks following Zimbabwe’s participation at the World Athletics Under-20 Championships held in Lima, Peru, recently. He led a four-member team that was made up of Panashe Nhenga, Caledon Ruwende, David Nyamufarira and Brendon Muvimi.

Nhenga competed in 100m, while Nyamufarira took part in two individual events — 100m and 200m.

Ruwende represented the country in 200m.

They then teamed up for the 4x100m relay and were joined by Muvimi.

The junior sprinters found the going tough, failing to go beyond the first round in their respective events. Nhubu said the more competition they faced regularly, the more prepared they would be when they go to such meets, where there is stiff competition.

“To improve our individual performances, athletes who qualify for world championships should have thorough preparations.

“At least they must have three or more high-level competitions before they attend the final championships.

“There is need for more mental preparation. Mental toughness is greatly needed to perform at the global stage. Focus and perseverance, determination and self-esteem need to be well-developed before these championships.

“Our tactical and technical skills needed performance coaching for execution,” said Nhubu.

He expressed gratitude to all the stakeholders who made it possible for the athletes to participate at the championships.

“I want to extend our profound gratitude towards the assistance we got from NAAZ, the Government of Zimbabwe, ZOC (Zimbabwe Olympic Committee) and SRC (Sports and Recreation Commission) for our juniors to participate in the World Athletics Under-20,” he said.

“With regard to performance, l applaud our athletes for having put up a brave fight; their performance was quite impressive.

“Their individual performance was satisfactory in that they pulled through to finish. No injuries were incurred at all regardless of the bad weather which they hadn’t acclimatised to.”

In the 4x100m relay, the team finished fourth in the heats, also missing the final.

However, they set a new national record of 40.40 seconds. The previous record was 40.76 seconds.

“The relay team did exceptionally well and managed to break the national record. The team was in a group of death because they ran against giants such as the USA.

“By setting a new record, it shows that the athletes had thoroughly done their homework and had been determined to fight for honours.

“The relay team has also shown that we have very big chances at the global stage; in Africa, we are already a podium federation when it comes to relays. We are considering partaking all relays so that we have a wider base,” said Nhubu.

Zimbabwe won a bronze medal at the Africa Senior Championships in 2022.