Online Reporter
Curtworth Masango, [email protected]
ZIMBABWE did not leave Botswana with medals yesterday.
They left with something bigger.
Proof they belong.
Gerren Muwishi, Dennis Hove, Leeford Zuze and Thandazani Ndlovu powered to fifth place in the men’s 4x400m final at the World Relays, finishing among the globe’s elite after a weekend that had already delivered their real prize, qualification for the 2027 World Championships in Beijing.
For a team that arrived chasing a lane onto the world stage, not the podium, this was no failure.
This was arrival.
Hosts Botswana lit up the National Stadium with gold in a championship record 2:54.47, while South Africa took silver and Australia bronze. Portugal edged Zimbabwe into fourth.
But Zimbabwe’s bigger job had already been done on Saturday.
Their explosive run into the final, secured as the best second-placed qualifier, booked Beijing and rewrote expectation.
By Sunday, the pressure had shifted.
This became about measuring Zimbabwe against the world’s fastest.
And they finished fifth.
“We were competing against the best in the world, I am happy,” said team captain Muwishi.
“At the end of the day, we came here to qualify for the World Championships, and we did that yesterday.”
That perspective mattered.
Zimbabwe were the country’s only representatives at the relays, carrying national expectation alone, and still forced themselves into global conversation.
For Muwishi, that was reason enough to celebrate.
“It was all about having fun. We wanted to push our bodies, and we did everything. I am super happy.”
But satisfaction is clearly not where this team plans to stop.
With Beijing now locked in, the focus has already shifted from qualification to competitiveness.
Muwishi knows the next step will demand more than emotion.
“We are going back to the drawing board to see exactly what we can do to better ourselves.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about individual times, especially in the 400 metres.
“We are going to work together as a group so that when the big races come, we are ready to compete even better.”
That may be the most important takeaway from Botswana.
Zimbabwe are no longer just grateful to qualify.
They are starting to think like a team that belongs.
The national record set during qualification was another bonus, but inside this camp, Beijing is not being treated like a participation badge.
It is a target.
Before that, though, comes another continental test.
The African Championships are next, and Ndlovu knows Africa’s growing dominance in the event means there will be no room to relax.
“As you can see, this race is being dominated by African countries,” said Ndlovu.
“It shows we will need to be at our best, but we believe we can have a very good outing.”
