LEGENDARY athletics sprint coach Kenny Nyape has advised athletes, who were participating in the US Collegiate scene, not to overload themselves ahead of the Senior African Athletics Championships.
Nyape now lives in Hwange, but made a name as a sprints coach in Bulawayo before joining the Colliery in 2007, where in no time he made Gabriel Chikomo good enough to run one of the legs of the 4x400m team's bronze effort in the Algiers African Games of the same year.
Among the athletes he worked with in Bulawayo were Caroline Ncube, Juma Phiri, Malvern Bonde, Nelton Ndebele, Garnett Dube, Elvis Muzamo, and Lloyd Makwati.
But the most famous remains Lewis Banda, who holds the 400m national record of 44.58 seconds set in 2004.
Nyape said it is key that the athletes manage their fitness levels and stay sharp to produce the right effect when the gunpowder explodes in Paris, France next month.
Already qualified for the sprints is Tapiwanashe Makarawu, who has run 19.93 seconds 200m and still has to shed 0.14 seconds in the 100m if he is to qualify for the Olympics.
Another 200m sprinter, who qualified, is Makanakaishe Charamba who qualified with a time of 19.93 seconds.
Isaac Mpofu and Reutendo Nyahora have also qualified for the Olympics' marathon event.
"I urge them not to overload themselves but try to recover from the effects of the collegiate games because three weeks is not a lot of time," said Nyape from his Hwange base.
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It was a long season that started late last year with the indoor circuit in which Makarawu was the second best with 20.29 seconds in the world's leading performers for this year.
Nyape is hopeful they could recover and excel.
"They should be able to recover and reach peak form again in time for the senior continental championships," said the qualified sprints coach.
Nyape is confident that the association and athletes have worked a roadmap towards the Olympics.
"With the Olympics around the corner, I want to believe that those that qualified already have a road map to these Games. They can use the African championships to test if they are still on course," said the respected coach.
The National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (NAAZ) is expected to finalise its team for the Doula, Cameroon Senior African Championships set for June 20-26 this year after Saturday's Inter-Provincial Championships in Bulawayo.
NAAZ boss Tendai Tagara confirmed last week that the team would be selected this weekend.
He said they would also consider those from the US universities for the real attempts as well.
The African Championships are the last event before the qualifying window closes on June 30.
Fireworks are expected in Bulawayo with young athletes Denzel Ngavi, Alpha Mpofu, Mzi Ncube, and Andrew Ndlovu facing an acid test.
Wellington Varevi is expected to dominate both the 5000 and 10 000m track distances as he also vies for Cameroon.
