Zim Under 20 clinch gold in IHF tourney

Patience Muchemwa

Zim Now Reporter

The Zimbabwe Under 20 handball side dismissed their Zambian rivals 35-31 while the Under 18 team put up a valiant effort, ultimately falling 37-26 in thrilling matches of the Zone VI International Handball Federation tournament yesterday.

The Zambian Under 18 scooped the gold medal with Zimbabwe’s young stars securing a commendable second place finish.

The highly-anticipated showdowns turned out to be stunning displays of skill and determination.

In an interview with Zim Now, Zimbabwe Handball Federation Secretary-General, Edson Chirowodza said they are happy with the performance, and they are going to keep supporting the youth teams for the future national team.

“We are excited with the outcome of the game. The boys put up a spirited fight, especially the Under 20 junior national team that managed to scoop the gold and qualify for the continental championships whose venue and dates are yet to be advised.

“The youth teams also played very well and managed to scoop a silver medal so, in general, we are happy with the performance of the Zimbabwean sides. This shows that the future of handball is bright in the country because of these youngsters. As a Federation, we look forward to keeping them together and intact so that they continue to train and to continue to also have more friendly matches with other countries so that we build the core of a strong future national men’s senior team in Zimbabwe.”

Under 20 coach, Tafadzwa Madure, said he is very grateful for the team’s performance.

“I am very happy with the team’s performance and special gratitude goes to the supporters.”

In the Under 18 category, Mozambique took a well-deserved third place, while South Africa has rounded out the standings in fourth position.

In the Under 20s, Zambia secured second position, Mozambique took third place, while Lesotho was in fourth.