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Sports Reporter
IT appears Team Zimbabwe are headed for another dry spell at the on-going Olympic Games as the country’s athletes at the world’s biggest sporting showcase are struggling to get podium finishes.

Zimbabwe last won medals at the Games in 2008.

In 2012 they came back home empty-handed from the London Games and things are not looking good with most of the athletes who travelled to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil already out.

The latest athlete to bow out of the competition is sprinter Tatenda Tsumba, who finished sixth with a time of 21.04seconds in the men’s 200m in heat six on Tuesday.

Jamaica’s Nickel Ashmeade took first position in 20.15seconds, followed by Adam Gemili of Great Britain in 20.20seconds to proceed to the semi-finals.

Although Tsumba, running in lane seven had a good start, he could not maintain the speed and his time could not guarantee him a spot in the semi-finals.

The 25-year-old told The Herald that his fitness levels had affected his overall performance.

“It’s been almost a month since my last race so I guess I just didn’t have the fitness to complete the race like I usually do. My legs couldn’t carry me forward, I had a great start, so I can take that from the race.

“It’s been great I have been around amazing athletes, so I am hoping next time I come back I won’t be scared or anything. I will be able to do better than I did today (Tuesday),” said Tsumba.

Tsumba said it had always been his wish to represent Zimbabwe at the Olympics and his qualification for the world championships last year was a motivation.

“In London I was like oh it will be nice for me to get there and I was just looking at the times, what it takes to qualify. But then last year, after qualifying for the world championships, I was like I can actually go for this,” said Tsumba.

Tsumba, who attended a sprinters’ camp in Jamaica for a month last year, facilitated by the National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe as part of his build-up to the Games and qualified in June, said the major difference between the two countries is the time invested in training athletes.

Tsumba said if the country is to expect results at such big events as the Olympics, there is need to invest in the work that has to be done to match international standards.

“It’s just a matter of doing things right, it’s not as hard as we make it sound or make it seem. It’s just that we see the outcome on TV but then the hard work has to be done at training. If the athletes are not getting their training they cannot perform on a day like this,” Tsumba said.

Zimbabwe will now be hoping that the trio of long distance-runners, Cuthbert Nyasango, Wirimai Juwawo and Pardon Ndhlovu, can raise the country’s flag high when they compete in the men’s marathon on Sunday.

Nyasango and Juwawo put up an incredible performance at the 2012 London Olympic Games where they finished seventh and 15th respectively.

The two Olympians are leaving for Brazil today and will be joined by United States-based Ndhlovu for Sunday’s race.