adminEllina Mhlanga Sports Reporter
AFTER a historical participation at the Winter Olympic Games in 2014, Zimbabwe will this year not be among the participants at the global showpiece starting tomorrow in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The Games get underway tomorrow with over 90 countries set to take part. Zimbabwe made their first appearance at the Winter Games in 2014 when skier Luke Steyn qualified for the Games.
Steyn was born on June 7, 1993, in Harare but left the country at the age of two for Switzerland where he was eventually exposed to snow and skiing. At the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, Steyn participated in the men’s giant slalom in alpine skiing.
He reached the finishing line in 1 minute 32.20 seconds during his first run and 1 minute 34.35 seconds during his second run, crossing the finishing line 21.26 seconds after the US gold medallist Ted Ligety. Steyn finished in 57th place, out of 72 athletes.
But after the Sochi Games indications were that he was not likely to pursue qualification for the next Winter Olympics due to personal circumstances. Zimbabwe Olympic Committee chief executive Anna Mguni said they would want to continue being part of the Winter Games but there are several factors that come into play.
“We definitely want to continue participating in Winter Olympic Games. It’s a concept of liaising, keeping in contact, making follow-ups and tracking the athletes. It’s making sure we keep in contact with athletes who are in winter sport outside the country because we don’t have severe winter conditions here in Zimbabwe.
“It’s critical to look at how best we can improve what we had started in 2014. We may have athletes participating in winter sport outside Zimbabwe but it’s also important to look at what level they are participating in.
Online Reporter