Zim team heads off for Cana Zone IV in Botswana
ZIMBABWE is set to send a 34-member delegation to the Cana Zone IV Swimming Championships set for Botswana which start on Thursday.
The regional competition pencilled in for University of Botswana Swimming Pool in Gaborone will see 13 countries from the Southern African region taking part in the meet. Team manager of the Zimbabwe delegation, Nokuthula Cyprianos, said they had 35 members in the squad before the withdrawal of Patrick Duff due to an injury. She said the swimmer will not be replaced. Duff was scheduled to swim in the Under12 category.
Swimming Zimbabwe is set to host a send-off ceremony tomorrow evening at a local hotel that will see the swimmers being presented with the travelling kit.
“Swimmers from Harare will arrive on Monday (tomorrow) afternoon with the kit presentation and the send-off dinner will be held in the evening. The team will then leave on Tuesday morning for Gaborone,” said Cyprianos.
She said they have selected a strong squad that is certain to take competitors from other countries head-on.
“It is a relatively strong squad that has managed to put up strong performances over the past and I am confident we are going to see good times coming from our swimmers but we are going there aware that other countries also have good swimmers,” said Cyprianos.
Some of the swimmers expected to put up a strong show include ANSA Junior Sports Person of the Year, Donata Katai, Junior Sportsman of the Year finalist, Denilson Cyprianos, South Africa-based Momvula Mjimba, Khaya Vimba, Timea Schultz, Vhenekai Dhemba, Tichatonga Makaya, Paige van der Westhuizen, Riana Rollo, Cory Werrett, Jasper Mpofu, Courtney Brown and Joash McKonie among others.
Cyprianos said the Canas have steadily grown over the years from a simple developmental gala into a competitive regional event attracting top talent and this have been boosted by world swimming body, Fina’s move to approve the event as an Olympic qualifier.
Fina announced in December last year they had approved the Cana Zone IV Championships, as a meet where swimmers can achieve the Fina “A” and “B” Swimming Qualifying Standard-Times for the Olympics.
The meet is set to host over 300 swimmers from 13 countries across Southern African with countries scheduled to take part being Angola, Comoros, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Zambia and hosts Botswana.
Zimbabwe squad
Under-12
Girls: Tori Dawe, Peyton Wishart, Mikayla Makwabarara and Loyiso Mahobele.
Boys: Limbikani Kalipengule, Khaya Vimba,
Sean Reilly and Kyle Heyns.
Under-14
Girls: Timea Schultz, Mkhuseli Mahobele, Vhenekai Dhemba, Kiara Goodinson and Saira Ramajan.
Boys: Bjorn Mhlanga, Tichatonga Makaya, Tawanda Chisungo and Onesimus Ngwenya.
Under-16
Girls: Paige van der Westhuizen, Riana Rollo and Nyasha Chinyani.
Boys: Cory Werrett, Callum Morgan, Jasper Mpofu, Jake Oostindien and Nathan Ngwenya.
Under-18
Girls: Nomvula Mjimba, Siobhan Jones, Gemma Schonken and Courtney Brown.
Boys: Quintin Tayali, Joash McKonie, Brett Jones, Tait Mills and Denilson Cyprianos.