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Ellina Mhlanga ‘Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE Swimming chairperson, Tracey Doorman, says they are expecting to finalise the team for the upcoming CANA Zone IV Championships next month following the completion of the national championships.
The national gala, which also serves as part of the selection events, ended on Monday at Les Brown Pool in Harare with over 200 swimmers participating.
Some of the participants were looking at attaining times for various upcoming competitions, including the CANA Zone IV Championships and the South African Championships.
The CANA Zone IV Championships are scheduled to run from April 14 to 18 in Zambia. Last year they were replaced by a virtual competition due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking after the national championships, Doorman said after receiving news about the event last week, they are hoping to have a team in place by mid-March.
“So for all these competitions, for our final selections we try and wait until the end of this competition. There is the South African age-group galas coming up, South African Junior Championships and then obviously CANA Zone IV which is later in April.
“For the CANA Zone IV Championships we have asked for applications by the middle of March so that we can select a team. Hopefully by the 20th of March we will have a team.
“We are hoping to have 15 to 20 swimmers,” said Doorman.
With some promising performances from the swimmers during the national championships, Zimbabwe will be hoping to challenge for medals at the CANA Zone IV Championships. They have in the past done well at the same competition.
Although there were no new national records set at the just-ended national meet, Doorman noted that there were some encouraging performances from swimmers, which is something they can build on for the future.
“We had some excellent times even though they may not necessarily have been records. We had some 14, 15, 16-year-olds who have had very good times.
“So it bodes well for the future because those are some of the swimmers we will be looking at along with our external swimmers and seasoned swimmers for Paris 2024 (Olympics),” said Doorman.
The Zimbabwe Swimming chairperson said it was good to see swimmers coming together after missing the national competition last year after it was cancelled due to Covid-19.
“It’s great to have the Zimbabwe Senior Nationals back after no competition last year because we had a stop, start (programme) due to Covid-19.
“We had 215 swimmers altogether from five different provinces. So it was an awesome event and the LOC did a great job putting it all together. But the main thing was the swimmers were so happy to be able to be at the nationals competing against each other,” said Doorman.
The likes of Mikayla Makwabarara, Limbikani Kalipengule, Mkhuseli Mahobele, Jayden De Swardt, Sibusiso Fayayo, Alexis Johnsen, Patrick Duff, Vhenekai Dhemba and Ryan Franceys are among the swimmers that dominated most of the events they took part in.
Bulawayo’s Riana Rollo, who competed in the 17-and-Over Women, said the national event is an opportunity to push herself as she competes with some of the leading swimmers in the country.
She finished third in the overall rankings in her age-group.
“I only get that competition when I come for the nationals or compete in other countries as I am the oldest swimmer in Matabeleland, so I don’t really have competition.
“I am the only swimmer in my age-group, so when I come (for the nationals), I have Donata (Katai), I have Kiara Goodinson, I have got Tanatsirwa (Chitsurura), all those girls to push me and I enjoy it,” said Rollo.
She was part of the swimming team that represented the country at the African Union Sports Council Region Five Youth Games last December and is hoping to make the CANA Zone IV team.
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