The Chronicle
12 July 2012
SWIMMING icon Kirsty Coventry will lead a small Zimbabwe team of seven athletes at the 2012 Olympic Games in London later this month.
This is the smallest contingent of athletes that Zimbabwe is sending to the Olympics since the country started taking part in the global sporting showcase in Moscow, Russia, in 1980.
An injury has ruled out track and field’s biggest medal hopeful Ngonidzashe Makusha while others failed to meet the qualifying standards for this year’s Olympic Games which are set to run from 27 July to 12 August in London.
The Zimbabwe Olympic Committee last night named the seven athletes that will do duty for the nation at the 30th Olympic Games in London.
Two-time Olympic Games women’s 200m backstroke champion Coventry will lead the cast that also includes three marathon runners Wirimai Juwawo, Cuthbert Nyasango and Sharon Tavengwa, triathlete Chris Felgate and rowers Jamie Fraser-McKenzie and Micheen Thornycroft.
Although Zimbabwe will be sending a small team of seven athletes to the London Games, ZOC president Admire Masenda said yesterday it was important to note that the country has consistently managed to qualify athletes to the Games since 1980, with a total of 159 Olympians having participated from Moscow (in 1980) to Beijing (in 2008) over eight Summer Olympic Games.
“Qualification has become increasingly harder, standards are higher and competition is stiffer.
“We have put in place a Long Term Winning Strategy which is aimed at developing athletes from grassroots through to high performance level.
“Implementation of this strategy will see consistent and systematic positive results by 2020 at world class competitions,†Masenda said.
He also said that there was need to introduce a national sporting strategy that focuses on identifying and nurturing talent.
The ZOC boss also said that corporate support and resource injection was necessary to develop talent.
ZOC were also looking at introducing the best practice of sport development which includes scientific research and practice in talent identification and nurturing athletes.
The local Olympic body, Masenda said, would also like to increase competition opportunities for local athletes to raise the level and standard of play and using regional competitions to sharpen the skills.
“We also believe that with a national sports policy in place, Zimbabwe sport will develop and reach greater heights.
“Zimbabwe’s participation at these Games is not just about winning a medal: participation and exposure to high performance will create the necessary platform for development.
“We recognise and acknowledge athletes that have qualified and will reward those that reach finals or (win) medals.
“I would like to congratulate the athletes for having qualified to go to these Games as this is a huge step.
“I would like to take this time to acknowledge the work that was put in by the officials as well,†Masenda said.
Meanwhile, some members of Team Zimbabwe are scheduled to leave for London on Sunday and the Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, David Coltart, is expected to be the head of delegation.
Paul Damasane, the principal director of Sport, Arts, and Culture, and Sports Commission’s chairman Joseph James will also be part of Team Zimbabwe’s delegation that will be travelling to London for the 2012 Olympics.
Zimbabwe has in the history of the Olympics garnered eight medals that include three golds.
The country’s first gold medal was won by the women’s hockey team at the Moscow Olympics in 1980 and swimming sensation Coventry won gold in the women’s 200 metre backstroke in 2004 at Athens, Greece, and at the 2008 Beijing Games in China.
Coventry took the 2004 Athens Olympics by storm as she swept to victory in the women’s 200 metre backstroke event to win the country’s first gold medal in swimming.
She also picked up a silver and bronze medal in the women’s 100 metre backstroke and 200 metre individual medley events at the same Games in Athens.
In 2008 in Beijing, China, Coventry produced the same magic and grabbed four medals — one gold and three silvers which took her tally to seven medals at the Olympics thereby becoming the most decorated athlete among those who qualified for the London 2012 Games.
The swimming queen also set a world record in her 100 metre backstroke semi-final which was not broken in the final and won her 200 metre backstroke in another world record.
Recently, Coventry fired the early warning shots on her return to competitive action since her injury in late April by winning two gold medals at the 2012 Paris Open Swimming Championships in France.
The 28-year-old capped her return in the 200m individual medley posting a time of 2.13.60 for the victory but was however slower than her silver medal winning time of 2.08.59 at the 2008 Olympics in China.
Coventry will, however, be going to the Olympics encouraged by the medals that she won in Paris last weekend and no doubt she remains the brightest medal prospect at the 2012 London Olympics.
Zimbabwe’s chances of grabbing more medals at the London Games suffered a major setback when track and field star athlete Makusha was injured earlier this year while training for the Games at his base in Florida, United States, earlier this year.
Makusha raptured his Achilles tendon during a training session at his Florida base and underwent surgery at Tallahasse which effectively ruled him out of the London Games. Makusha’s absence at this year’s London Olympics means Zimbabwe will not be represented in the track and field events for the first time in the history of the Olympics after several sprinters failed to make the grade for the world’s biggest sporting showcase.
Zimbabwe first participated at the Olympic Games soon after the attainment of Independence in 1980, and has sent athletes to compete in every Summer Olympic Games since then.