dyton mupawaenda
Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE’S hopes of qualifying a team for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games suffered a blow as the men and women’s teams participating at the ongoing African Road to Paris 2024 Olympic Qualifiers bowed out of contest for a spot at the multi-sport event when they failed to progress to the semi-finals.
They both lost their matches against Nigeria on Wednesday in Pretoria, South Africa.
Zimbabwe’s teams were placed bottom in their respective Pools.
They are now playing the position classification matches and the men’s team was set to face Kenya last night.
Zimbabwe Olympic Committee chief executive Marlene Gadzirayi last month in an interview with Zimpapers Television Network, ZTN Prime’s Morning Rush, said for Paris 2024 Olympic Games, they had provided assistance for teams to help their qualification bids.
These included ruby — the Cheetahs and Lady Cheetahs as well as the national men and women’s hockey teams.
All the teams have missed qualification, the latest being the hockey teams at the ongoing qualifiers in South Africa.
First in action on Wednesday was the women’s team they lost 2-1 to Nigeria. It was their second defeat after a 10-0 defeat against South Africa in their first game and it was the end of the road to their hopes of reaching the semi-finals to fight for the sole spot for the Olympics.
The men’s side lost 4-3 to Nigeria and despite having won one of their matches to collect three points, they were placed bottom in Pool A behind winners South Africa with nine points, Uganda and Nigeria also with three points each but had a superior goal difference.
For Zimbabwe men, their loss to Nigeria was a painful one as it was a close contest between the two teams.
Nigeria took the lead in the first quarter of the game. They extended the lead to 2-0 before Zimbabwe replied through Arnold Mpofu in the second quarter to go into the break with the former leading 2-1.
Alec Chomunorwa levelled the score just a minute from the break and Tadiwanashe Kamusewu weighed in with a goal to take a 3-2 lead.
However, Zimbabwe could not hold on to the lead as Nigeria found a way to bounce back into the game and they went into the last quarter tied 3-3. The Nigerians proved to be the better team of the day when they grabbed a last minute goal to win the match 4-3.
The top two teams from each Pool proceeded to the semi-finals.
Hosts South Africa and Uganda proceeded to the last four from Pool A. They were joined by Egypt and Ghana from Pool B in the men’s competition.
In the women’s category, South Africa and Nigeria pulled through to the semi-finals while Kenya and Ghana progressed from Pool B.
Only the winning teams in each section from the tournament qualify for the Olympic Games.
In the men’s category the runner up will have another chance to try and qualify at the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers next year.
Online Reporter