The ManicaPost
Senior Sports Reporter
ABOUT 95 athletes from different schools that will represent Manicaland in this year’s National Association of School Heads national competitions will go into camp at Mutare Boys’ High School today (Friday).
The athletes will participate in the national competitions scheduled for next Thursday and Friday in Chinhoyi.
In this year’s edition, with the likes of talented Norman Mkwada within their ranks, Manicaland will be seeking to redeem lost pride in athletics after it failed to use home advantage last year and settled for a distant third position when the province hosted the annual event at Hillcrest College.
Harare Metropolitan Province came first.
Manicaland NASH head-in-charge for athletics, Philip Padhuze, confirmed that athletes who performed favourably during last week’s provincial competitions will be having a five-day camp before the team leaves for Chinhoyi.
Padhuze said a send-off party had been arranged for the team on Monday where the provincial education director, Edward Shumba, was expected to deliver a solidarity message.
“We are happy that our arrangements are going on well and the team is supposed to be in camp beginning on Friday. They should be checking in on Thursday at Mutare Boys’ High.
“We will have send-off party for the team on Monday where the provincial education director, Edward Shumba, is expected to deliver a solidarity message.
“We really hope that our athletes will do us proud and come back home with the best results. We are doing our homework and we know will get it right this time,” he said.
In last week’s provincial competitions that were hosted by Nyanyadzi High School, Mutare District dominated the event after amassing a total of 29 gold, 14 silver and 16 bronze medals.
Buhera District, which came into this year’s provincial competitions as the defending champions, weighed in second position after collecting 23 gold, 28 silver and 14 bronze medals.
Makoni came third with 21 gold medals, 14 silver and 15 bronze medals, while Mutasa settled for fourth position after getting 18 gold, 14 silver and 19 bronze medals.
Nyanga District was fifth with 12 gold, 20 silver and 23 bronze medals, while Chipinge District came out sixth with nine gold, 12 silver and 18 bronze medals.
The host district, Chimanimani’s pathetic performance left them at the basement of the results table with a paltry three gold, 11 silver and six bronze medals to show for their efforts.
