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Collin Matiza Sports Editor
THE Zimbabwe Olympic Committee yesterday stepped up their preparations for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, by announcing the 10 successful recipients of the scholarships aimed towards qualification for the biggest global sporting showcase.
And as expected, the 10 recipients of the 2016 Rio Games scholarships are led by the country’s swimming sensation Kirsty Coventry who is aiming at competing in a record fifth straight Olympic Games in Brazil in two years’ time.

Coventry, who has seven Olympic Games medals — two gold, four silver and one bronze — under her belt, first took part at the world’s biggest sporting extravaganza way back in 2000 as a sprightly 16-year-old swimmer before she followed this up with three more straight appearances at the Athens Games in 2004, Beijing Games in 2008 and the 2012 Games in London.

The other recipients of the scholarships are Coventry’s fellow swimmers Chad Idensohn, James Lawson and Robyn Lee; rowers Peter Purcell-Gilpin and Micheen Thornycroft; two road runners Cuthbert Nyasango and Wirimayi Juwawo; and two track and field stars Gabriel Mvumvure and Ngonidzashe Makusha.
Long-distance runners Nyasango and Juwawo; long jumper Makusha and female rower Thornycroft have been to the Olympic Games before.

Nyasango and Juwawo took part at the last Olympic Games in London in 2012 where they did themselves and the nation proud by finishing in the top 20 in the demanding men’s marathon where the former came home in a credible seventh place while the latter crossed the finish line in 15th place.

Nyasango wrote himself a piece of history at the London Games where he became the first Zimbabwean road runner, male or female, to finish way inside the Top 10 in the history of the Olympics after he surprised all and sundry by coming seventh in a personal best time of 2 hours 12 minutes 08 seconds.

That was a phenomenal achievement by the seasoned long-distance runner.
Meanwhile, Makusha skipped the London Games through injury after having missed a podium place by a whisker at the previous Games in Beijing, China, where he came fourth in the men’s long jump.

Female rower Thornycroft will be hoping to have another dance with the Olympic Games for the second time in a row after having represented the country at the last Games in London in 2012.

The other recipients of the 2016 Rio Games scholarships — sprinter Mvumvure, male rower Purcell-Gilpin and three swimmers Idensohn, Lawson and Lee will be hoping to make their maiden appearances at the Olympic Games by setting the qualifying times or standards for the Rio Games.

Mvumvure missed the 2012 Olympic Games in London because of a hamstring injury but the United States-based 100m and 200m specialist is now hopeful of representing Zimbabwe at what could be his last Games.

In announcing the 10 recipients of the 2016 Rio Games scholarships, ZOC said the objective of the programme is “to assist elite athletes selected and proposed by their respective National Olympic Committees (NOCs) in their preparation and qualification for the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, Rio 2016.”

The Olympic scholarship programme offers NOCs the possibility to obtain financial and technical assistance for a limited number of elite athletes who are training, and attempting to qualify, for the Rio Olympic Games.

Funding for this programme is administered and managed by the Olympic Solidarity, which is the arm of the International Olympic Committee mandated “to organise assistance to the National Olympic Committees, in particular those which have the greatest need of it. This assistance takes the form of programmes elaborated jointly by the IOC and the National Olympic Committees with the technical assistance of the International Federations if necessary.”

The programme aims to promote universal representation at the Olympic Games, consequently candidates from NOCs that have traditionally sent small delegations to the Games are usually prioritised.

According to ZOC, the total budget allocated to this programme for the period September 1, 2014 — August 31, 2016 is approximately US$250 000 and this covers items agreed upon by the athlete, the National Association (NA) and the NOC in the scholarship contract.