The Sunday Mail
The year 2014 may pass as one of the less glamorous in the recent past, but it surely did have its own ups and downs sporting-wise. Our Sports Reporters Langton Nyakwenda and Ishemunyoro Chingwere look at the 2014 sporting year in retrospect.
Warriors flatter to deceive
The country’s flagship team, the Warriors, got off to a bright start, storming into the semi finals of the CHAN 2014 held in South Africa early in the year.
Led by unyielding skipper Partson Jaure, the Warriors claimed the scalp of African powerhouses like Mali on their way to the last four of the bi-annual continental showpiece.
They, however, failed to build on the new-found momentum, spectacularly falling from grace to grass when they crashed out of the Afcon 2015 qualifiers at the hands of unfancied Tanzania on the Black Sunday of June 1.
The Warriors lost 0-1 away in the first leg encounter before labouring to an embarrassing 2-2 draw against the Taifa Stars in front of a packed Nationals Sports Stadium.
Ian Gorowa, who had assumed king status after the Warriors’ strong CHAN showing, was made the scapegoat and suddenly he turned from hero to villain.
He quit his job in a huff on the eve of a ZIFA board meeting which was expected to seal his fate.
On the administrative front, ZIFA president Cuthbert Dube retained his post despite the plummeting fortunes of the local game.
Caps United boss Twine Phiri humiliated Dynamos chairman Kenny Mubaiwa in the highly-publicised Premier Soccer League elections held before the 2014 top flight season soccer season.
The Chibuku Trophy returned onto the football scene, this time christened the Chibuku Super Cup and was won by Norman Mapeza’s well-drilled FC Platinum.
The football story would not be complete without mentioning the fairytale Castle Lager Premier Soccer League débutantes, ZPC Kariba, who went for 19 games unbeaten and almost wrestled the title from perennial contenders Dynamos.
ZPC Kariba became the first team to provide the top three players at the end-of-year Soccer Stars awards when prolific centre back Dennis Dauda was crowned king, with goalkeeper Tendai Hove and forward Limited Chikafa coming in as First and Second Runner-up, respectively.
On November 23, DeMbare capped their football season in style, claiming their fourth Premiership title on the trot and their 21st in total after beating How Mine 2-0 in the final game of the season, while ZPC Kariba were losing 2-3 to Caps United.
Kallisto Pasuwa, who quit DeMbare soon after the final whistle, became the first coach to win four league titles in a row.
Manyuchi’s magic punch
Boxing was at one time the second most popular sport after football in the 80s and Charles Manyuchi turned back the hands of time when he clinched the World Boxing Council welterweight title in March after beating the highly-rated Patrick Allotey of Ghana in Lusaka, Zambia.
The Masvingo-born pugilist, who also holds the African Boxing Union belt, successfully defended his WBC crown when he knocked out Davis Caceress of Colombia on November 22.
It was Manyuchi’s first fight against an opponent from outside Africa and the WBC now rates him as the 30th best welterweight boxer in the world.
He capped his year in style when he was crowned the country’s Sportsperson of the Year.
End of an Era
After two decades at the helm of Zimbabwe Cricket, veteran administrator Peter Chingoka finally stepped down as chairman on July 24, passing on the baton to long-serving deputy Wilson Manase.
Manase’s first move was to appoint Steven Mangongo as the national cricket team coach — the Takashinga Club co-founder becoming the first Zimbabwean black Test cricket coach.
Mangongo began his reign in style, leading Zimbabwe to a historic three-wicket ODI victory over Australia, the world’s number one-ranked team in that version of the game at the Harare Sports Club on August 31.
It was Zimbabwe’s first victory over the Aussies in 31 years and the widely-circulated picture of Mangongo’s mother crying in his son’s arms soon after the game told the whole story.
The tough-talking Mangongo would soon meet his demise when his Chevrons lost all their eight fixtures during the disastrous tour of Bangladesh in November.
Zimbabwe lost three Tests and five ODIs, resulting in Mangongo’s dismissal on December 18.
Davis Cup Delight
Led by non-playing captain Martin Dzuwa — one of the country’s most celebrated black tennis players — the Zimbabwe Davis Cup team finally clinched a spot in the 2015 Euro/Africa Group II after a remarkable showing in Cairo in September.
Zimbabwe beat Namibia 2-0 in the Africa Group III promotional play-off on September 13 to climb one step up the Davis Cup ladder.
The Davis Cup squad comprised of United States-based Takanyi Garanganga, Benjamin Lock as well as the Spain-based duo of Mark Fynn and Tinotenda Chakanyuka.
Teeing off in the States
United States-based golfer Scott Vincent broke into the top 10 in World Amateur Gold Rankings last July after his famous victory at the Players’ Amateur in South Carolina.
Vincent is now ranked the world’s seventh best amateur golfer and was a nominee for the Sportsman of the Year award at the recently held Annual National Sports Awards.
Sensei’s near miss
The outgoing ANSA Sportsperson of the Year Sensei Samson Muripo reached the final of the International Karate Organisation Matushima World Cup in September, but missed out on the big gong after losing out on a technicality.
The other medal hopeful Sensei Tawanda Mufundisi pulled out of the tournament after suffering a double fracture on his leg while aiming a kick in the semi-finals of the lightweight category.
Cheetahs edge closer to Rio 2016
Africa’s best sevens rugby nations converged in Harare for the Confederation of African Rugby Sevens tournament that featured some of the best rugby-playing nations on the continent.
Kenya, Uganda, Tunisia, Nigeria, Madagascar, Namibia, Botswana, Senegal, Zambia, Ivory Coast, South Africa and Zimbabwe participated at the continental showpiece held at Prince Edward High School.
The Cheetahs beat Tunisia 41-5 in the 3rd place play-off to edge closer to fulfilling their dream of qualifying for the 2016 Olympic Games to be hosted by Brazil.
Region’s best converge in the City of Kings
The best athletes from the region converged in Bulawayo for the African Union Sports Council Region Five Under-20 games which were officially opened by President Mugabe early December.
Besides the much-needed taste of continental competition the Games afforded our athletes, the event left a legacy of state-of-the-art sporting facilities, most of which were renovated in preparation for the games.
Special Mention
Rutendo Nyahora, the Queen of the Road who ruthlessly dominated the local marathon scene and narrowly missed the Sportswoman of the Year award that was given to tennis icon Cara Black.
Farewell Shapiro, Chitato
Sport lost one of the best brains in Shepherd Chiware, the sports management guru who passed away in August.
The same month that the country also lost former Warriors striker Eddie Chitato who succumbed to a heart ailment.
