Zimbabwe clocks 3:03.55 to seal African Championships berth

ZIMBABWE has qualified for the 4x400m men’s relay at the African Senior Championships to be held in Ghana in May.

The national 4x400m squad clinched victory at an international meet in Lesotho on Saturday, delivering a performance that not only secured qualification but also placed them among the fastest relay teams in the world this year.

Representing Zimbabwe were Thandazani Ndlovu, Leeford Zuze, Dennis Hove, Ropafadzwa Mzondo and Gerren Muwishi, who also served as team coach.

Competing in rainy and windy conditions in Maseru, the Zimbabweans produced the world’s 10th fastest time of the year, clocking 3 minutes 03,55 seconds. Their time comfortably met the African Championships qualifying standard of 3:04.50.

The 3:03.55 mark now ranks as the 10th quickest globally this season.
South Carolina University in the United States holds the year’s fastest time of 3:00.88, with most of the teams ahead of Zimbabwe made up of US-based university squads.

With Saturday’s result, Zimbabwe now stands as the fastest country over the distance within Africa, with Nigeria following in second place with a time of 3:04.59.

American and Jamaican colleges currently dominate the top 40 world rankings, underscoring the strength of their national relay pools.

Zimbabwe sent the team to Lesotho deliberately, seeking to assess fitness levels and set a benchmark ahead of upcoming competitions. The country is targeting participation at the World Relays, which Botswana will host in May. There are no qualifying standards for the World Relays, with World Athletics relying on global rankings instead.

Zimbabwe is also preparing for the African Senior Championships due to take place in Ghana at the end of May.

Speaking before departure for Maseru last week, national team coach Phakamile Lisimati said the team would give its all in Lesotho. With the time achieved there, the relay squad will now attempt to better their mark this weekend in Botswana at the Lefika Relays, another high-level competition.

National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (Naaz) president Tendai Tagara expressed delight at the team’s strong showing.

“I was told it was too windy and raining. They came out first in a time of 3:03.55. This victory is a strong statement of intent. The team continues to show unity, discipline and belief. Our focus now is to build on this performance, improve our time and position Zimbabwe competitively on the global stage as we pursue World Relays qualification,” said Tagara.

Zimbabwe is also hopeful that its United States-based sprint brigade will race in the 4x100m relay and work towards ranking among the world’s top 24 teams. Should they post a sub-38 second performance — or even dip into 37 seconds — the country could find itself making history with both relay teams qualifying for Gaborone and Ghana.

Among the athletes earmarked for the 4x100m relay are Denzil Siamusalela, Tapiwanashe Makarawu and Makanakaishe Charamba. Tafadzwa Chikomba, who has the fastest 60m time of the season among Zimbabweans, is also a strong contender for the squad.