Online Reporter
Don Makanyanga
Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIMBABWE’S five-member team are targeting podium finishes when the African Karate Championships get underway in Algeria next week.
The squad comprises Nicole Kadzombe, Clarice Runodada, Trinity Kotsi, Bradley Kadzombe and Raylan Mohamed, with veteran coach Winston Nyanhete confident his charges can compete for medals at the continental showpiece.
Nyanhete said the team had been training daily as they seek to make the most of an opportunity that has been difficult to secure in previous years.
“Our preparations are going well. We’re training every day in preparation for the African Karate Championships.
“This is something that we’ve been looking forward to for a long time. Our athletes need the exposure because they don’t get to travel to this particular event as much as we would like them to,” said Nyanhete.
He said the five-member team represented a significant step forward for Zimbabwean karate, with the athletes now looking to challenge for places on the podium.
“Everyone who is coming into this event is the number one seed in their country. We are working flat out.
“All the countries are working flat out. We are all pushing hard to be on the podium,” he said.
The championships will also provide valuable international experience for most of the Zimbabwean athletes.
“Every coach, me included, we are hoping for gold medals. This is something we are pushing towards, to say podium placement for the whole team. Let’s see how they perform on the day,” said Nyanhete.
Bradley Kadzombe, who won a bronze medal Africa Youth Games last year, has set his sights on improving on that performance.
“My target right now is to go for the top, which is gold. Last time I went, I had a bronze medal and this time I am striving for better,” he said.
Bradley Kadzombe said he had stepped up his training ahead of the championships and identified confidence as one of the key factors that could determine his performance.
“Confidence is key. Last time, I feel like I didn’t have confidence. This time, I’m striving for it,” he said.
For Runodada, the championships will mark her first appearance at the continental level, but she is also targeting gold.
“I hope for the best that I am able to win something because the aim is to get the gold medal. But I expect to have fun and enjoy myself whilst I’m out there,” she said.
Runodada believes the experience of Kadzombe siblings will help her cope with the demands of her first continental tournament. Mohamed is equally ambitious, saying the team’s preparations had been geared towards the championships for most of the year.
“My target for this tournament is to get a gold, obviously. We’ve been preparing almost the whole year for this, so it’s really a big thing for us.
“We want to go and fly the Zimbabwe on the flag, and make our people proud,” said Mohamed.
Team captain Nicole Kadzombe said the squad was determined to translate its intensive preparations into results in Algeria.
“Representing Zimbabwe is a great honour. I feel like we’re just going there to do our best and also win,” she said.
Nicole stressed the importance of preparation ahead of the competition, saying athletes must be ready to perform at the same level at which they train.
“As of now, you fight the way you train.
“The more you train, the more you practise, and the easier it is to do, the higher the chances of you going on the podium,” she said.
