Zim sprinters set the track ablaze

Patience Muchemwa- Senior Reporter

In a dazzling display of speed and agility, Zimbabwe's top sprinters left an indelible mark on the ASA Athletix Grand Prix Pre-Program 2nd Edition in South Africa.

The nation's athletic talent shone bright, with outstanding performances in both the 400m and 200m events.

Dennis Bradley Hove stole the spotlight in the men's 400m, blazing to victory with a remarkable time of 45.50 seconds. His triumph reinforced his status as one of Zimbabwe's top quarter-milers. Leeford Zuze (46.00s) and Gerren Muwishi (46.27s) followed closely behind, taking second and third place, respectively.

Other Zimbabwean 400m runners delivered strong performances, including Aldrin Tafa (47.18s), Artwell Simon (48.36s), Takudzwa Kalasiya (49.19s), Jeremiah Tadiwanashe Mawarire (49.28s), and Denzel Ngavi (49.54s). These results highlight Zimbabwe's growing strength in the 400m event, positioning the nation's athletes as serious contenders on the international stage.

In the 200m event, Gerren Muwishi finished in an impressive third place with a time of 21.03 seconds. He was closely followed by Ngoni Makusha (21.16s), Leeford Zuze (21.36s), Daniel Magogo (21.44s), and Artwell Simon (21.55s), all of whom showcased their speed and competitiveness.

Gerren Muwishi shared his thoughts on the competition, saying, "The Grand Prix is good competition because you have a variety of athletes from across our region who come to compete for top honours. This makes it competitive, and the quality of the competition provides a platform to run fast times."

With Zimbabwe's sprinters eyeing major competitions like the World Championships and Olympic qualifiers, National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe president Tendai Tagara emphasised the importance of achieving competitive relay times.

He highlighted the upcoming qualification opportunities, stating, "For World Relays, a country must run times that place them in the top eight globally... We plan to field a team in Botswana on April 6 and are pushing for another relay in Zambia before the qualification window closes."