Tedious Manyepo Sports Reporter
ONE of Zimbabwe’s most celebrated middle and long-distance runners, Tendai Chimusasa, believes the country has the potential to produce many top-notch athletes who can make loud statements internationally if authorities put up vibrant developmental structures in place.

The former Olympian, who carved his own niche with Black Rhinos Athletics Club in the mid-1980s, said athletics’ stakeholders should establish academies to nurture talent.

“I think we are not doing enough as a country to groom young athletes who can help fly our flag high at the international level. “We should work together to try and see to it that youngsters are afforded a chance to develop in suitable environs,” he said. The lanky former Commonwealth Games silver medallist is currently on a nationwide tour, scouting for talent in schools.

“I have seen that it is better for some of us to go down to schools and try to scout for talent there.

“That way we can shape the youngsters better and with a little bit of training I am sure that we can groom them to be become future superstars,” said Chimusasa.

He believes Zimbabwe can take a leaf from fellow African countries like Kenya and Ethiopia who are producing world-class athletes from their athletics academies.Chimusasa is now the head coach of his former club, Black Rhinos, where he has helped shape the careers of some promising athletes like Millen Matende.

He has also worked with Virimayi Zhuwawo, one of the three athletes who will represent the country at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in Brazil this August.

Chimusasa is the proud owner of seven residential properties in Harare, three of them in Mandara, Hillside and Belvedere.

Chimusasa made his name at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics where he reached the semi-finals in both the 5 000 and 1000-metre races.

He then became the first Zimbabwean road runner to finish in the top 10 in the men’s marathon at the Olympic Games when took a credible ninth-place finish the 2000 Sydney Games in Australia.

Besides participating in the Olympic Games, Chimusasa took part in two All-Africa Games editions in Egypt (1991) and South Africa (1999).

Born on January 28, 1971 in Nyanga, Chimusasa carried the Zimbabwean flag at the opening ceremony of the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.

He won the Lisbon Half-marathon in 1992 and Berlin Half-marathon in 1994 and 1997.

One of his biggest achievements in his illustrious career was winning a silver medal in the 10 000m event at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, Canada, where he clocked 28:47.72.

Chimusasa was also a cross-country runner and won the Eurocross meeting in Luxembourg in 1994 and 1996.

Now a member of the Zimbabwe National Army, Chimusasa is widely regarded as one of the finest road runners to emerge from this country and is in the company of Zephaniah Ncube, the late Stanley Mandebele, Tapfumaneyi “Tap Tap” Jonga, Brian Sheriff, Nicolas Nyengerai, Esau Magwaza, Joseph Mutsimba and Melusi Ndhlela.

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