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Ellina Mhlanga-Senior Sports Reporter 

THE two-week training camp for long-distance runners got underway over the weekend in Bulawayo with nine athletes in attendance. 

The camp is being facilitated by the National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe and is part of their project aimed at assisting athletes with the potential to qualify for international events. 

Fifteen locally-based athletes were expected to participate in the camp but some of them excused themselves. 

The camp is being led by coach, Benson Chauke, who is the head of national event coaches for middle and long-distance runners. 

He is working with other coaches. 

However, Chauke said being their first camp with the athletes, they are looking at laying the foundation on which they can build on, going forward. 

“In the early stages we are looking at the general endurance. This is the phase where we are working on strength, general endurance, where we are bringing people together because we have to build a team, working on team building because they are going to work together. So this is what we are trying to cultivate. 

“But apart from this, our prime focus is we are putting in all the basics, laying the foundation of what we would want to build on. Once the foundation is strong, then we can now change the activities in our second block where we now look at different other elements of training that will now start speaking towards our goal of a specific time. 

“Those elements would be more intensive during our second block of our training, which would be in March. 

“But for now, we are trying to lay the fundamentals. We want those legs strong, we want to put strength in the legs and power in the legs. We want to put proper running techniques, a positive mindset, give them a direction to know where we are going, where we are and what is at stake,” said Chauke. 

The athletes were selected based on their times and the nine that reported for camp include Ngonidzashe Ncube, Tryphina Picardo, Ethel Sibanda, Annie Chirisa, Moses Tarakinyu, Tendai Zimuto, Wellington Varevi, Elijah Mabhunu and Caroline Mhandu. 

“There are other athletes that could not join camp now for technical reasons presented to the technical coaching team and were excused but are still part of this team. Some of them we are monitoring what they are doing where they are,” said Chauke. 

Those that could not make it for this training camp are Isaac Mpofu, Olivia Chitate, Munyaradzi Jari, Jonathan Chinyoka, Patience Murove and Fortunate Chidzivo. 

Some of the athletes are expected to compete in a qualifying race for the World Championships on May 8 in South Africa. 

Chauke said they are looking at races in which the athletes can compete in so that they monitor and assess the progress and identify specific areas the individual athletes require assistance. 

“Remember, they are a group but within a group, they are individuals with their strength and with their weaknesses. 

“We have spoken with their coaches, we have tried to learn as much as we can from their coaches . . . So hopefully when we put things together and on the day of competition all things come together and work together for good. 

Then we might get the positive result that the nation is looking up to.” 

Apart from the 15 local athletes, a few foreign-based athletes are also part of the programme. 

The project is expected to run until 2024. 

Zimbabwe had one athlete at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games after they were allocated a universality slot by World Athletics.