Nyamande ready to take gold medal
DURBAN: It is a little difficult to take Hatiwane Nyamande seriously when he says he is ready to win the Comrades Marathon.
Granted, he finished second last year and third back in 2015, a trend that would suggest the next logical position for the Zimbabwean should be first. But those were up runs from Durban to Pietermaritzburg, his Comrades debut also having been in the same direction back in 2013. He finished with a silver medal in 78th position that year.
For the down run, Nyamande’s record is literally non-existent. Twice he failed to finish the run from Maritzburg to Durban, the man with an awkward running style blaming injuries for both DNFS (Did Not Finsh).
“In 2014 and 2016, I didn’t even get to 30km. I was hit by injuries and I couldn’t finish. I’m injury free this time around and I’m fit. I have a plan and my goal is to win. I’ve been doing my preparations in Durban for the past two and half months,” Nyamande said, placing huge expectations on himself to end his Down Run misfortunes.
In 2014, Nyamande struggled with a shin injury that cut his race short. Having overcome that and doing well the following year to finish third, Nyamande went to the 2016 race confident of proving that he was no one-trick pony, an Up Run specialist.
But again injury struck, this time a hamstring pull that led to him failing to get to Durban.
With Moses Mabhida Stadium the finishing venue, Nyamande is determined to be the first one to enter the 2010 World Cup venue.
He believes he picked up lessons from the previous races, particularly from last year when he was runner-up to Bongmusa Mthembu.
“I learnt a lot from finishing second last year. I wasted plenty of energy where I shouldn’t have. I wanted to control the race when we still had 25km to go.
“The other guy (Mthembu) saved energy and that’s how I lost the race. He used his energy when it mattered the most.”
He won’t make that mistake again this year, he vowed.
“This time around I won’t waste energy unnecessarily. I respect the way he won the race.
“I believe I can win Comrades and my aim is to win. Having said that though, I respect everyone who will be taking part.”
The respect for the race and the opposition will help him to stick to his game plan and not worry too much about what the others are doing, although he will keep an eye on them.
“I will run my own race but of course I’ll also be watching the other runners. I need to monitor them so that I will be able to make my calculated moves correctly.
“I need to stay disciplined. I’m ready and I feel fresh. This year I only ran small races in Zimbabwe. I didn’t do the Two Oceans.”
Should he win, he will be following in the footsteps of his compatriot Stephen Muzhingi who won the race on three successive occasions from 2009 to 2011. THE HOST of superstars heading to the Sun Arena in Tshwane for the third edition of the NBA Africa Game is indicative of the seriousness with which the National Basketball Association view their expansion into Africa.
The list of players announced on Thursday includes All Stars Joel Embiid and Demar Derozan and reflects just how much the Africa Game – an exhibition event – has become a part of the NBA’S off-season calendar.
The NBA has taken its expansion into new territories very seriously hosting league games in London, while it has also hosted a number of pre-season events in Beijing, Shanghai and Singapore where the NBA enjoys massive popularity.
The Africa Game is a similar venture, and as NBA vice-president and managing director for Africa, Amadou Gallo Fall explained, it is one that celebrates the history the NBA has in Africa.
“From Hakeem Olajuwon to Dikembe Mutombo, the NBA has long enjoyed talent that has emerged from the continent. We see it today, with the likes of Joel, Al-farouq (Aminu) and Bismack (Biyombo) who were all inspired by those guys and now want to give back to their communities.
“Our job, one we’re committed to, is to bring the NBA experience to our fans all over the world and Africa is a very special place for our league. We had 14 African-born players on the rosters of different teams on the opening day of the last season. If you count all the second generation players there are more than 40 players this season with direct African links and they are all interested in coming back and getting involved in what is happening here,” said Gallo Fall.
The game will be played on August 4, with tickets going on sale on June 15.
“The NBA is committed to growing the game of basketball on a global basis. The key drivers of our global expansion is about celebrating the game of basketball and using the celebrity of our brands, our players who are global icons to impact communities and inspire young people.”
Africa is clearly an important area for the NBA and by comparison with other sports and the approach of other federations to growing their brand on the continent, the NBA is very aggressive. It’s main developmental initiative, the Basketball Without Borders programme, is already in its 16th year and Embiid’s status as one of the biggest names in the NBA is indicative of how well that programme works. “It is an opportunity to grow the sport in a market that is vibrant, it’s a youth dominated continent, and basketball is the number two sport in the world. Tere is tremendous talent on the continent, so it’s a no-brainer for us, to continue to build a footprint,” Gallo Fall added.
He explained that the NBA would be aiming to move beyond just the annual hosting of an exhibition game as it seeks to further attract youngsters attention.
“This is the third edition, but we will look forward to doing more, doing even bigger things. In some form or fashion we will have an NBA game; it could be two teams playing a pre-season game. We look forward to seeing more facilities developing in other countries and staging these big events in other parts of the continent.”
More players as well as coaches for the two teams will be announced in due course.
Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers; Cameroon), Al-farouq Aminu (Portland Trail Blazers; US; parents from Nigeria), Bismack Biyombo (Orlando Magic; Democratic Republic of the Congo), Cheick Diallo (New Orleans Pelicans; Mali), Evan Fournier (Magic; France; parent from Algeria), Serge Ibaka (Toronto Raptors; Republic of the Congo), Timothe Luwawu-cabarrot (76ers; France; parent from Democratic Republic of the Congo), and Pascal Siakam (Raptors; Cameroon)
Demar Derozan (Raptors; US), Harrison Barnes(dallas Mavericks; US), Danilo Gallinari (LA Clippers; Italy; BWB Europe 2003), Rudy Gay (San Antonio Spurs; US), Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks; US), and Hassan Whiteside (Miami Heat; US)