The Sunday Mail
THE National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe intends to send three junior middle distance runners to Kenya’s renowned High Performance Centre as part of their preparations for the African Union Sports Council Region V Youth Games.
NAAZ vice president Aneas Nhoro disclosed that they intend to send the promising trio of World Youth Olympians Enlitha Ncube and Titus Nyathi as well as last year’s World Youth Championships participant Nyathi Mutsetse to Kenya.
He said the move is aimed at exposing the trio to international training standards ahead of the Region 5 games which commence on December 4 in Bulawayo.
“We need about $9 000 to send our athletes to Kenya’s High Performance Centre in preparation for the Youth Games.
“Having them in Kenya will expose them to some of the best training methods in the world as well as boost their confidence ahead of the games.
“We also have other offers from American, Senegalese and even Mauritian institutions who are willing to assist our athletes develop, so we appeal to the nation to help us groom our athletes.
“Our athletes are very talented and can only get better through constant international exposure,” he said.
NAAZ, added Nhoro, have realized the importance of nurturing young talent at an early age.
“We have learnt from other countries like the USA that we should start developing athletes from an early age like 10 years, this should happen in all sports if Zimbabwe is to enjoy success in the future.”
Ncube (16) achieved her personal best outdoor 3000 meters time of 9:44.24 during last month’s World Youth Olympics in Nanjing, China.
Nyathi has a personal best of 8:37.82 in the 3000 m race while Mutsetse has dominated regional tournaments and is primed for medals during the Region V games.
