Ngezi to unleash Chirinda on Dynamos
TRIATHLON Zimbabwe president Ross O’Donoghue is confident their athletes had a good platform to step up their build-up for forthcoming regional and continental competition after competing at the Troutbeck event recently.
The Troutbeck event has become a multi-sport festival featuring several different competitions apart from the Bonaqua Africa Triathlon Cup, which is the main event on the day. It runs concurrently with the Africa Junior Cup. The national association also staged their Zimbabwe National Championships during this event and it presented their youth athletes with a chance to assess their readiness for the South Africa Youth Championships scheduled to take place at Maselspoort on March 3.
Zander Botha won the Boys 15-and-Under while Rachel O’Donoghue claimed the girl’s title in the same age group.
They are both part of the team travelling to South Africa next week for the Youth Championships. “I think it’s been a huge benefit to our athletes leading up into these bigger races that they are going to go into now.
“So they are going to the South Africa Championships and when I say bigger races, especially for our youth they are going to race where there is going to be more competition. “There is a race in PE (Port Elizabeth) as well a couple of weeks later, and then there is the Africa Championships, and then our youth and juniors will go to Egypt as well.
“I think this race has prepared them well for what’s to come in the next two months. I am excited to see what we can do. We have got some fantastic youth guys, Zander Botha did amazingly well.
“He is going to be a star in the future. Rachel did well. But these kids need exposure, they need to race more people outside this country. So we are excited about what’s going to come,” said O’Donoghue. The Triathlon
Zimbabwe president believes having young athletes compete in the presence of elite athletes from different countries also boosts their confidence.
“To have international athletes watch them it feels like they are on a bigger stage than when we are doing our local races. So, I think it’s been great for our youth athletes.”
Botha will be out for a better outcome after coming fifth at last year’s event.
“It’s (preparation) going very well. My coach is doing very well with me. We are getting a lot of training and very good quality and very good intensity.
“I expect to get a podium and to get under the 40-minute mark. So I will be training very hard for that,” said Botha.
Olivia Beamish, who is also part of the team and came second behind Rachel O’Donoghue at the national competition is excited to be part of the country’s representatives in South Africa.
“I am happy I made the team. I mean I did make the team last year but I think this year I know what the course is like and I know what to prepare for,” said Beamish. Rachel O’Donoghue won gold last year in the 13-and-Under age group and is looking forward to a competitive event.
“To be honest it isn’t that much of a surprise to me. Last year I was very happy about it. But this year it was just another race.
“I think there is a little bit more competition for me. But generally the same.”
The team will be accompanied by national coach Pamela Fulton and Laura O’Donoghue, who is the tour manager.
Team
Under-13 Boys
Daniel Nicholson, Sebastian Goddard, John Goddard, Seth Cameron.
Under-15 Boys
Zander Botha, Matthew Hildebrand, Xander Stevenson, Ta’anashe Makosa, Ethan Donza. Under-15 Girls
Rachel O’Donoghue, Olivia Beamish, Bianca Van de Linde.
OBRIEL Chirinda is at the centre of a tug-of-war of some sort with Dynamos accusing him of conning them after he allegedly signed a contract with them last year only for him to be unveiled as a Ngezi Platinum Stars player this year.
The former Bulawayo Chiefs forward has already penned a two-year deal with the Mhondoro club and DeMbare has been grumbling over what they are calling double-dealing by the Warriors player.
They have already written to the Premier Soccer League, complaining about the matter.
But Ngezi Platinum Stars, who practiced due diligence before landing the prized asset, are not a concerned lot as they are set to unleash Chirinda on Dynamos when the two teams clash in the season-opening Castle Challenge Cup at Baobab on Saturday. The champions will attempt to capture their first silverware this year by beating DeMbare, who are still smarting from the heavy blow of losing out on Khama Billiat’s signature to Yadah Stars when they looked likely to be the destination for the former Warriors talisman.
Ngezi Platinum Stars coach Takesure Chiragwi said Chirinda is a senior player and should be experienced enough to handle some negative talks around his name and be able to deliver in the field of play.
“I am not privy to what exactly is being said or written about him and I will not comment on it obviously for my lack of knowledge on the subject,” said Chiragwi.
“But what I know is that Chirinda is a senior and very experienced player. He can’t be held back by anything when it comes to delivering the goods.
“We are going to play him in the match against Dynamos on Saturday. He is fit and ready to do his job which we took him for. I know he is very ready to play in that match.”
Chiragwi said the game is a blessing for his team ahead of the start of the 2024
Premiership season.
“Yes, this match is a huge blessing for us as a club. We will get to gauge our strengths and weaknesses in a highly competitive encounter before the Premiership games come.
“We have been training as a team for the past weeks, integrating the new players and trying to play as a team.
“All that will be put to the test on Saturday when we play Dynamos in this crucial match which we want to win.
“Of course, Dynamos managed to beat us 2-0 in the final of the Chibuku Super Cup last year at the same venue but we can’t read much into that. We are going all out in search of a win because we know how important it is to win trophies as a team.
“Dynamos is a very good team and they can play very well. We are aware of that but look, we also have a very good team capable of competing. So on Saturday, I am anticipating a very competitive game which we want to win.”
Chiragwi has several new faces on his side besides Chirinda.
They have brought in Richard Hachiro from Chicken Inn, former ZPC Kariba striker Moses Demera as well and Talent Chamboko who was formerly with Manica Diamonds.
They have also taken aboard former FC Platinum forward Never Tigere who spent the past three years playing for Azam in the Tanzanian top-flight.
“I believe these new players are at Baobab to do their work. So far, they have been impressive and the way they have been training tells a good story of players with ambition,” Chiragwi said.
“We will get to see how they play on Saturday but so far so good in terms of their willingness to give what they have.”
Ngezi Platinum Stars have also released several players like Marlon Mushonga, Bruno Mtigo, Valentine Kadonzvo, Tapiwa Sibanda, Ariel Makopa, and Wayne Makuva.
WITH a few days to go before the National Cross Country Championships take place, defending champions Harare are hopeful of retaining the title.
The event is scheduled for Saturday at Alan Lowry Golf Club, Redcliff.
All provinces are expected to field their senior and junior (Under-20) athletes.
The senior men and women will compete in a 10km race. The Under-20 boys and girls will take part in 8km and 6km respectively.
Harare Athletic Board had its team selection event a few weeks ago and the team includes the likes of Wellington Varevi, Patience Garauzive, and Jonathan Chinyoka.
They have been training at the National Sports Stadium B Arena and coach Collen Makaza is upbeat that they will retain the title.
“I think we are ready and I think we will retain our championship. We have the likes of Wellington Varevi, Jonathan Chinyoka, Patience Garauzive, and Miriam Sibanda.
“Those are the top athletes and we think they can win the race and qualify for the World Cross Country Champion-ships. So we are just waiting for the day.
“Harare always wins these championships and these are top athletes. Also in the junior girls we have got the likes of Brenda Njodzi, and in the junior men we have got Blessing Sipanela. So we have got quite several top athletes who are on our team.
“So we are hoping to have good results and good performance,” said Makaza.
Makaza said they would have wanted to field more athletes in the seniors but some of them have other commitments.
“Our team was affected in the seniors because our seniors have got another event, the one in Kazungula which will be on Saturday, and other races. But we have some who are ready for it.
“We have been training for the past three weeks. The team was meeting every Tuesday and Thursday. So tomorrow will be our last day to meet as a team. We are prepared, even for our juniors, we are ready for it.”
Midlands Athletics Board chairperson Partson Muderedzi said they have had an encouraging response from the provinces.
“On preparations, I think on the ground everything is looking good. We are now ready to receive our visitors.
“Roughly from the entries I am getting from provinces, we are getting between 10 and 20 athletes per province. It’s not a game of numbers, you can bring a small team and then end up winning or bring a small team which is one of the best teams,” said Muderedzi.
The hosts are, however, set to field a bigger team.
“We are hosting, so our team is between 20 and 30 athletes…The problem was that when we had our provincial team selection event, most of these good athletes came from long distances, they come from rural areas. So we had a dis-advantage in that most of them didn’t turn up because schools were just opening.
“So we didn’t get a good turnout from rural areas . . . But we are ready to compete also.”
Harare Team
Senior Men: Wellington Varevi, Johnathan Chinyoka, Panashe Magwaza, Shadreck Samukange, Collen Makaza, Tawanda Bvunzabaya.
Senior Women: Patience Garauzive, Miriam Sibanda, Emilia Mukungatu.
Boys Under-20: Blessed Sipanela, Takudzwa Chisambara, Taurai Chabata, Greatmore Martin, Takunda Diwihi, Nomatter Gutsa, Obvious Unganai.
Girls Under-20: Brenda Njodzi, Nonhlanhla Nyati, Mercy Masanire, Ruvimbo Sithole, Kelly Bemhihwa, Nadia Mahuwa, Kelly Maguire.*