The Sunday News
Muzingaye Ncube Sports Reporter
A TOTAL of 24 athletes have so far qualified for the Coca-Cola Four Minute Mile finals to be held at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair main arena on Saturday.
The last round of qualifiers which were scheduled for yesterday at Gifford High School were moved to Wednesday at the same venue due to unavailability of athletes.
The Coca-Cola Four Minute Mile is a male competition with a prerequisite time of four minutes 31 seconds for one to qualify for the finals bankrolled by Delta Beverages.
Last year’s finals attracted 29 athletes and Bulawayo was represented by six runners while this year they have only five participants.
Bulawayo Athletics Board chairman Manuel Mpofu said they expected their athletes to do well in the competition and finish within the top 10.
“We expect the boys to do us proud and show other provinces what Bulawayo is made of, we expect to have more athletes in the top 10 compared to last year when we had one, Simbarashe Taderera,” he said.
Mpofu said those representing the province should be wary of other athletes from other provinces as they would not sit back and watch them win.
“Our athletes should brace themselves for a stiff competition because all the athletes will be at the race for the prize money,” he said.
Dailes Bingadadi the BAB secretary-general said they were considering bringing back the semi-finals which in the past were held a day before the finals to trim the large number of athletes to a reasonable 16.
“It’s high time we brought back the semi-finals to reduce the number of the athletes for the finals. This also improves the times of athletes,” she said.
Among the qualified athletes is the defending champion Simbarashe Chikadaga of Black Rhinos who won the race with an impressive time of 4 minutes 10:10 and Elijah Mabhunu of Harare Athletics Club who came second on 4 minutes 10:51. The two are the favourites for top honours.
Black Rhinos Athletics Club has six athletes, followed by Fairbridge and Blanket Mine with three apiece while three clubs, Shabanie, Sparrows and Zimbabwe Prison Services have two each. The other clubs, Rio Tinto, Harare Athletics Club, Hwange and ZRP have one each in the finals.
The qualifiers were done throughout the country during the National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe and National Association of Secondary Heads competitions to give all athletes from all corners of the country an opportunity to take part in the finals.
Sponsors Coca-Cola have maintained last year’s package that will see the winner take home $800 while second and third place winners will go home $500 and $ 400 richer.
Fourth placed athlete will get $300 while the prize money for the fifth place is $250.
The leading beverage manufacturing company has also put aside $200, $175, $150, $100 for sixth to 10th placed athletes. The top 10 athletes will also get medals with all participants getting T-shirts and Coca-Cola branded kits.
Below is the final list of athletes:
Wirimai Zhuwawo (Shabanie Mine, 4mins 31secs), George Majaji (Freda Rebecca Mine, 4mins 31), Thando Maphosa 4 mins 31secs, Simbarashe Taderera 4mins 26secs (all Sparrows), Isaac Mpofu 4mins 23 secs, Trust Chidomaya 4mins 30 secs, Trust Madoro 4mins 31secs (all ZRP Fairbridge), Bonface Jackie 4mins 22 secs, Levison Mafura 4mins 20 secs, Trust Hove 4mins 21secs, Simbarashe Chikadaga 4mins 22secs, Tatenda Hove 4mins 30 secs, Charles Mkanda 4mins 31secs, (all Black Rhinos) Dzingayi Dandara 4mins 25 secs , Jonathan Chinyoka 4mins 28secs, Nomore Wiriki 4mins 31 secs (all ZPS), Blessmore Chidziva ( 4mins 28 secs ZRP),Phathisa Ngwabi (4mins 26 secs Hwange) Tawanda Matunhu 4mins 27secs, Wellington Varevi 4mins 24secs, Nkosiyazi Sibanda 4mins 31secs (all Blanket Mine) Elijah Mabhunu ( 4mins 20 secs Harare Athletics Club) Irvin Rozi (Eiffel Flats 4mins 30secs) and Kudakwashe Durban (4mins 24 secs).
