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Ellina Mhlanga Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE’S team for the Confederation of Schools Sport Associations of Southern Africa championships (is brimming with confidence ahead of the meet that takes off today in Francistown, Botswana.
The championships are running until Wednesday, with countries from the region set to fight for honours in the Under-13, Under-15 and Under-17 age groups.
Zimbabwe are the reigning champions and are fielding over 130 athletes for this year’s competition in anticipation of defending the title.
They will be hoping to make it four in a row, having won it for the past three years.
National head in charge of athletics Phillip Chikomwe said they are going into the competition with high hopes of retaining the championship.
“We are expecting to retain our title. We also have in our athletes a number of them with potential to get gold medals for Zimbabwe. We had some who participated in South Africa (at the Southern Regional championships) and results that came from South Africa show that we have got a huge potential.
“We have got an athlete who got gold in high jump Brian Ndlovu, who jumped 2,10m and a number of our sprinters posted good times, some got medals . . . so we are very positive,” said Chikomwe.
Some of the countries set to take part are Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia and Zambia.
In their bid to ensure their team is in a good position to maintain their dominance in this competition, the National Association of Secondary Schools Heads roped in some of the country’s top coaches including National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe director for coaching, talent identification and development Lisimati Phakamile.
Speaking just before their departure Phakamile said they have done all they need for the event, but added that it’s not going to be an easy assignment, with Botswana likely to challenge them for the title.
“We have been working on trying to go out there and defend the first position that we have been taking for the past three years.
“We are actually into a (competition) with a team that is very strong at home.
“Botswana are very strong at home, the last time we were there they finished third. So we know they are very tricky at home. We are trying to neutralise them where they are strong and capitalise on our strength.
“We have worked on our team, we are confident. We are also banking on 14 athletes who went to the Southern Regional championships.
“We have a number of them, Prissy Mpofu got a medal in long jump and Brian Ndlovu set Zimbabwe’s national youth record with a 2,10m jump.
“So these are some of the athletes we have on the forefront,” Phakamile added.
Meanwhile, the Harare Athletics Board yesterday held their selection event for the Inter-provincial finals scheduled for May 12 and 13 in Bulawayo.
Yesterday’s competition attracted just over 100 athletes and some of the top athletes that turned up include Betha Chikanga, who came first in the senior women 5 000m in 17 minutes 6, 15 seconds.
She also took first position in 1 500m in 4 minutes 49,47 seconds.
Ngoni Makusha, also earmarked to represent the province in Bulawayo, ran 48,14seconds to win the senior men’s 400m.
The 100m and 200m sprinter took advantage of the competition to work on his endurance ahead of the Bulawayo meet.
HAB chairman Sebastian Garikai said for their selection, they are also looking at the athletes’ performances in previous competitions held from the beginning of the season up to now.
“We are not just using this event, we are also using past records, especially noticing and also seeing that we are in the holiday period our juniors, the school going kids, have gone for holidays and stuff like that,” said Garikai.
Harare are the reigning champions and are looking at coming up with a team of 30 to 35 athletes for the inter-provincials.
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