Online Reporter
Zimpapers Sports Hub
NATIONAL Athletics Association of Zimbabwe director of coaching Phakamile Lisimati says they are looking at having the men’s 4x400m team coming together in preparation for the World Relays due to take place next month.
Zimbabwe maintained their spot among the top 24 teams at the close of the qualification window on Sunday.
The team made up of Gerren Muwishi, Leeford Zuze, Thandazani Ndhlovu and Dennis Hove reinforced their qualification when posting a time of 3 minutes 00.69 seconds at the Lefika Relays more than a week ago in Botswana.
The time saw the team moving up the ladder from 24th to 13th place.
They are set to be part of this year’s World Relays that will be staged in Gaborone, Botswana on May 2 and 3.
It will be the team’s second consecutive appearance at the meet, having qualified and participated at last year’s edition in China.
On their way to qualification for the World Relays, the athletes have been working with their individual coaches.
“We are working flat out to prepare the boys. The boys are working with their individual coaches at the moment to perfect their individual legs in the races.
“We will be grouping before we depart for Gaborone to work on the baton exchange, to work on the team chemistry and also to work on how we are going to line up towards the Games.
“Our key anchor persons are Muwishi, Zuze, Hove and Ndhlovu. Those are our key men that have run 45s currently in the country and are leading the first 400m runners.
“We will be picking up one or two reserves to travel with just in case we pick up a knock and so on,” said Lisimati.
Lisimati, who is also the national head coach will accompany the team together with one of his assistants at national level.
“We are quite excited as a nation and as an association that we have consecutively produced relay teams that have qualified for the World Relays.
“We have gone to Yokohama, we have gone to Guangzhou, and this time around we are heading to Gaborone for the World Relays.
“It’s not the first time, like we have alluded to before. We are now aiming at making a mark in the world, pushing up to the semi-finals and finals at least so that we also qualify for the World Championships next year.
“We are targeting to at least proceed past the preliminary rounds to the semi-finals or finals if all is well, if our boys are fit and are confident enough to get to that stage.
“The top eight teams at the World Relays will qualify automatically for the World Championships that are coming up next year.
“We are aiming at that, and that is our main goal,” said Lisimati.
In Yokohama, Japan, in 2019, Zimbabwe fielded the men’s 4x100m team.
Twenty-four teams will be entered for each of the six events on the programme at the upcoming World Relays — the women’s 4x100m, women’s 4x400m, men’s 4x100m, men’s 4x400m, mixed 4x100m and mixed 4x400m relays.
The team is also expected to feature at the Africa Senior Championships also scheduled for May in Ghana.
