When you wear your heart on your sleeve!

IT is generally agreed that first-born children like to fuss, while the second-born always seem assured than other family members.

Last-born children are almost always spoiled and viewed as slackers.

At least, these are some of the myths. However, what happens when you are the last-born in a family of eight?

Well, for Zimbabwe women’s Sevens rugby side’s flyhalf Delight Mukomondo, who describes herself as “cool, fun and loveable”, the answer to that is simple: “You are hardworking and you almost always wear your heart on your sleeve.”

At 23, she is one of the future stars of the

Lady Cheetahs squad that is fresh from qualifying for the Africa Cup tournament.

The team made headlines in Lesotho last weekend after they finished the regional qualifiers unbeaten.

They also achieved that feat without conceding a try.

On her part, Mukomondo finished as the tournament’s top try-scorer with seven to her name. She is still over the moon and describes Zimbabwe’s triumph as “the greatest moment of her career so far’’.

“At one point, like back in 2016, we were amongst the top three nations in Africa, but then we fell off,” she said.

“We have since been forced to fight, and fight hard, so that we can get back to where we belong (among the big teams of the continent).

“The win in Lesotho last weekend was a culmination of that fight and, without a doubt, the greatest moment of my life.”

Despite finishing as the top try-scorer, she considers qualifying for the Africa Cup as the highlight of her achievements.

“Winning the tournament is the greatest thing that has happened to me in my career.

“Finishing as the tournament’s top tryscorer is just icing on the cake, and it is more of a team award than mine alone.

“If I had played alone, I don’t think I would have scored any of those tries.

“Every try I scored was a team effort and, as such, we should share it,” she said.

Born on August 9, 1998, Mukomondo’s rugby journey only took off in 2016 when she was still in secondary school at Mbare High.

She went for the national Under-18 trials and made the grade.

The trials opened doors for her, as she would later join her first club, Cubs.

She later moved to Police Defenders, playing for them for one season, after which she went to Botswana and played for a club called Hogs. On her return, she found a new home at FS Raiders.

While all this happened, she also made the grade for the senior women’s Sevens’ team — Lady Cheetahs — and has never looked back.

She feels a sense of accomplishment now that they have qualified for the Africa Cup.

Although it will be a different ball game, Mukomondo believes that team is ready and up for the challenge.

“I believe in my teammates,” she said. “I believe in the Lady Cheetahs, and we can finish in the top two at the Africa Cup in Tunisia.

“Over the past couple of months, we have really built a bond as a team and we now view ourselves as a family.

“We are a family that will play for each other. “All we need now is more time; time to train more, time together to work on our synergies, strength and conditioning.”