Ellina Mhlanga
Sports Reporter
AS the curtain comes down on the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games in the French capital today, Team Zimbabwe chef de mission (CDM) Masimba Mutemaringa says they are happy with the performance of the country’s representatives at the showpiece.
Kudakwashe Chigwedere and Tinotenda Bango flew the Zimbabwe flag at the Games, which will be officially closed today.
Both runners received universality wild cards to take part in the quadrennial Games.
First to take to the track was Chigwedere in the men’s 100m T47 more than a week ago, and Bango’s race in the women’s category last Tuesday marked Zimbabwe’s last event at the Games.
Chigwedere reached the men’s 100m T47 final, and he finished in eighth place in 10.94seconds. The 21-year-old had crossed the finish line in third place in the heats to advance to the final.
In the process, he posted a personal best of 10.78s. His previous personal best going into the Games was 11.63s.
Bango also secured a personal best of 13.71s in the women’s 100m T47 during her heats.
She did not make it into the final following her ninth-place finish.
Mutemaringa was pleased with the athletes’ show on their Paralympics debut.
“Indeed, it was a privilege to have these young athletes competing at the highest level of Paralympic sporting excellence,” he said.
“Having worked with the two athletes since our participation at the World Para-Athletics Grand-Prix held in Morocco in April this year, I can safely say the future looks good for us.
“I am happy and they are happy too. Their performance marked a great transition in terms of time, athlete grind, purposefulness and zeal in representing our great nation.
“Kudakwashe’s performance saw him outsprint his previous best time by 1.15seconds to storm into the final in a space of three months and Tinotenda silenced her previous personal best by 2.08seconds. It is that spirit and grit which gives me comfort and hope as the chef de mission that surely some work was done and the fruits are there to be enjoyed in upcoming Grand-Prix and World Championships.”
Zimbabwe last got a medal at these Games in 2004 in Athens, Greece, through Elliot Mujaji.
“It was his second gold medal at the Games, having first won a gold medal for Zimbabwe at the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia.
Mujaji was the athletes coach in Paris.
With both athletes still young and standing a chance to return to the next edition, Mutemaringa said there was need for continued training for them and other para-athletes to improve the numbers in the future and Zimbabwe’s competitiveness at the Games.
“It has been my observation that para-athletes develop a series of physical, technical, tactical and psychological skills, which are adapted to their biological and psychological characteristics.
“Therefore, the training process should be an uninterrupted period parallel to the evolutionary development of the athlete, in which there is not only the influence of motor aspects, but also factors related to cognitive and affective social processes,” he said.
“In this regard, there is a need for an alternate continuation in the training and competition mode for the two athletes and others who will join the pool of elite para-sport.
“It is, therefore, paramount for Zimbabwe to adopt the holistic approaches being deployed by successful countries such as China, the USA, France, Great Britain and even much closer to home, South Africa.”
The Team Zimbabwe leader added that creating a broad base from the grassroots would also be key for the future Games.
“The point of departure for Zimbabwe is to mobilise all young persons with a disability and introduce them to sport through anthropometric and somatotyping approaches . . .” he said.
“Such deliberate scientific efforts, which do not require sophisticated equipment will aid greatly in growing the athlete pool for Zimbabwe.
“I am also of the strong view that Zimbabwe needs to deliberately introduce paralympic sport to uniformed forces colleagues at the Tsanga Lodge Convalescent Centre and to other rehabilitation centres, who already possess skills, which can be readily converted to para-shooting, para-canoeing, para-rowing and para-athletics, among a host of other activities.”
The team is expected back home on Tuesday.
