THE team that represented Zimbabwe at the recent World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary returned home this week but with no medals to show for their efforts.
The country was represented by a team of four athletes who had done well to qualify for this prestigious biennial event that brings together the best of all the track and field athletes from across the continents.
Marathon runner Isaac Mpofu, who finished 16th after a courageous showing against a strong field comprising the cream of the distance runners on the planet, was the best performing Zimbabwean athlete.
Of course, athletes do not usually find it easy at this global meet. The World Athletics Championships is one of the biggest stages, just as the Olympics, and getting a medal at such a platform is a massive achievement.
This is the reason the National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe should always take the event seriously. Both the association and the athletes should not be content going out there just to add the numbers.
Zimbabwe need medals to put the country on the map. Sadly, since 2011, more than 10 years ago, when Ngoni Makusha bagged bronze in the long jump in Daegu, South Korea, no other Zimbabwean athlete has graced the podium.
It’s a miserable reality, considering that six editions of the World Athletics Championships have come and gone, with Zimbabwe represented at every occasion.
Our performances, with regard to the podium, have not improved at all. This should be cause for concern for the responsible authorities at the National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (NAAZ) and for the nation as a whole.
Why are our athletes failing to get medals at that stage? Yet our neighbours Botswana, who are much smaller in terms of population, have been picking up medals here and there?
South Africa too have managed to have their national anthem sung at these games, although this year it was just as difficult for them as it was for Zimbabwe.
But we shouldn’t be taking comfort in numbers. The bottom line is that Zimbabwe should be improving and making it a habit to be counted among the winners.
After running his personal best time and finishing 10th at the previous edition of the championships in Eugene, United States last year, marathon runner Mpofu somehow had remained a medal hopeful for Zimbabwe.
Mpofu has been part of the Zimbabwe team in the last three editions of the World Athletics Championships. He has been improving gradually, with every outing.
His time of 2 hours 7 minutes and 56 seconds at last year’s event held in the United States became his personal best and a new national record. So there was every reason to put our best bet on a podium finish this time around.
He qualified for Paris 2024 Olympic Games with an impressive time of 2 hours 6 minutes 48 seconds at the Valencia Marathon last December.
But the script unfolded otherwise at the World Championships, under difficult conditions in Budapest this week. Mpofu finished a distant 16th in a time of 2 hours 11 minutes and 33 seconds.
It was not all gloom though as the ace winner Victor Kiplangat of Uganda was just under three minutes ahead after crossing the line in 2 hours 8 minutes 53 seconds.
Another Zimbabwean, Ngonidzashe Ncube, who was bidding to qualify for the Olympics, failed to make the qualification time after finishing 37th in a time of 2:17:02.
The Olympic qualification time is 2 hours 8 minutes. Zimbabwe’s sole representative in the women’s marathon, Fortunate Chidzivo, finished a distant 55th in 2 hours 43 minutes 28 seconds.
Emerging runner Tapiwanashe Makarawu, dubbed the country’s next sprint king, came agonisingly short of qualifying for the semi-finals on his debut appearance at the event.
Interestingly, Zimbabwe was this year represented only by marathon and sprint athletes.
No one for the field events.
This calls for more investment in the various athletics events like the jumps, throwing games such as shot put, discus, javelin, and the hammer throw.
Even so, the authorities need to work on increasing the number of representatives in order to boost chances of getting podium finishes.
While Zimbabwe had only four athletes qualifying, some countries had bigger teams, with USA fielding 138 athletes. Our neighbours South Africa had 36 while Botswana had 14 athletes and finished with two medals.
On average, Zimbabwe has been sending four athletes to the championships in the last 10 years. This is a very small contingent and the chances of getting medals get scarcer.
NAAZ need to put a plan of action in place to groom more podium athletes. There is a need for collaborative action from all stakeholders including government and the private sector to invest in facilities. It’s sad the country lacks modern facilities like tartan track.
In 2020, World Athletics delivered a verdict that there was no athletics track in Zimbabwe that could be certified for use for international competitions.
The National Sports Stadium track that was last renovated 25 years ago ahead of the 1995 All-Africa Games, needs a complete overhaul while the White City Stadium track underwent massive refurbishment ahead of the 2014 African Union Sports Council Region 5 Under-20 Youth Games, but missed out on the critical element when only a 100m stretch had a tartan surface laid.
Most of the local athletes that compete in short sprints usually rely on securing scholarships abroad where they get access to top of the range facilities. This is not an ideal situation.
There is also a need for more resources to be channelled towards the development of athletics from the grassroots.
Track and field events are popular with many schools in Zimbabwe. But most of the athletes that show promise from a young age lack proper nurturing and grooming.
NAAZ have done their best under the circumstances. They have organised local events and tried their best to harness the talent.
But there is room to do more. Zimbabwe has so much potential and that potential should be turned into success.
More Zimbabwean athletes need to qualify for these events to boost chances of winning medals.
Source: The Herald
