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Zimbabwe: Country's Participation at World Cross-Country Tourney Uncertain
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 Published by the government of Zimbabwe |
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The Herald (Harare)
28 March 2008
Posted to the web 28 March 2008
Augustine Hwata
Harare
Zimbabwe's participation at the 36th International Association of Athletics Federations World Cross-Country Championships in Edinburgh, Scotland, was last night still wrapped in confusion.
The National Athletics' Association of Zimbabwe had selected five athletes -- Cutbert Nyasango, Nkosiyazi Sibanda, Tabitha Tsatsa, Joshua Sabao and Jonathan Chinyoka for the event set for Sunday -- but final details pertaining to their scheduled departure tonight were still hazy.
The Zimbabwe federation shortlisted the athletes following their performance at the 10th Confederation of African Athletics Council Southern Region Cross-Country Championships in Lusaka, Zambia on February 23, 2008.
Yesterday, team manager Claver Machiridza was wearing a brave face and remained hopeful that the trip was still on. Machiridza, however, referred further questions to NAAZ president Joseph Mungwari who remained unreachable.
But The Herald established that NAAZ will not be able to send all the five athletes even if the team is to leave tonight as planned. Prince Edward High school pupil Chinyoka has pulled out, opting for a three-month training stint at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria, South Africa.
The athlete is expected to depart for South Africa on Sunday. NAAZ had selected Chinyoka together with Sabao for the junior men's competition while Nyasango and Sibanda were chosen for the senior men's 12km race. Tsatsa in the sole representative in the senior women's 8km event.
It has emerged that Chinyoka never submitted his passport for a visa with the British Embassy in Harare.
Only Nyasango has been confirmed to be leaving tonight for the world championship while
doubts were lingering over the rest.
Tsatsa is expected to arrive in London, coming from Korea, where she set a new national record in the women's marathon.
Running at the Dong-A
Seoul International marathon
last weekend, Tsatsa set a new record of 2.29:20 to eclipse
the standing record of 2.30; 12 that she set at the same event in 2007.
Veteran runner Nyasango is
the most experienced member
of the team, having taken
part in the 31st IAAF World
Cross-Country Championship
in Lausanne, Switzerland in 2003.
"Cutbert Nyasango has been at the previous IAAF cross-country championship where he has done well.
"I would like to think that
the only challenge he will face
will come from the Kenyans
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and the Ethiopians, especially Kenenisa Bekele who is a
world champion," said
Machiridza.
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