adminDespite the athletics boss Joseph Mungwari trying to put a brave face, claiming the athletes recorded a success, it was only Ngonidzashe Makusha who was successful with his latest accolade being the United States of America Bowerman Award for his outstanding performance in the Track and Field events.
Makusha also won bronze at the World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, in August but was overlooked for the Annual National Sports Awards.
He was named the Florida State University’s National Track Athlete of the Year and in June this year he ran 9.89 seconds in the 100m sprint, which was impressive as the world record held by Usain Bolt stands at 9.58 seconds.
Another athlete who made a mark this year was Stephen Muzhingi who won the prestigious Comrades Marathon for the third time in a row.
He finished the Ultra Marathon in five hours 32 minutes 45 seconds.
A number of athletes were selected for international competitions but month after month they came back empty handed.
At the African Cross Country Championships in Cape Town in March, the Zimbabwean team put up a dismal performance with the first athlete Kelvin Pangiso crossing the finish line ninth in 37 minutes 11 seconds
while Jonathan Chinyoka was 21st in 38 minutes 47 seconds.
Analysts blamed the bad performance on poor administration and team selection.
The major disappointment was at the All-Africa Games where athletes failed to bring a significant number of medals.
The question that people should be asking is whether Makusha is the only prolific Zimbabwean athlete.
Makusha did not make it to the All-Africa Games in September and was probably the country’s biggest hope for a medal.
National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe president Mungwari released a statement soon after saying the clashing of the World Championships and the All-Africa Games meant some of the top athletes could not be available.
“The athletics team did not bring any medals home because the All-Africa Games coincided with the World Championships in Daegu, South Korea. Our standard or level of performance at the highest level does not have a wide base enabling us to field two very strong teams,” he said.
Zimbabwe has always had a number of top performers in athletics and one would wonder why only a few have to carry the country’s hopes at international meets.
Lewis Banda, Talkmore Nyongani, Brian Dzingai, Marvin Bonde, Lloyd Zvasiya, Tonderai Tomu, Nelton Ndebele, Gabriel Chikomo, Renaldo Naidoo and Gabriel Mvumvure are some of the few Zimbabwean performers who have made an impact.
Online Reporter