Zimbabwe: Country Win 10th Cross-Country Championship

ZIMBABWE produced one of their best performances in an international cross-country meet when they won the 10th Confederation of African Athletics Southern Region Cross-Country championship at the University of Lusaka, Zambia on Saturday.

It was indeed a remarkable feat for the National Athletics' Association of Zimbabwe whose 10 athletes reaped an impressive seven medals from the event to finish top of the nine nations table.

Defending champions South Africa, fielding a strong contingent of 34 runners were a distant third with just two medals while hosts Zambia who had more than 40 athletes also managed two medals.

Malawi brought in 24 athletes and returned home with two medals, tied in second place with Zambia.

Zimbabwe won two gold, two silver and four bronze medals from the event to emerge the overall winners ahead of Zambia, Malawi, South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Botswana, Mozambique and Swaziland.

Crack middle distance runner Samukeliso Moyo showed that she had lost none of the attributes that made her a household name in the region by storming to victory in the women's 8km stretch to take the gold medal.

Tabitha Tsatsa took the bronze medal for coming third as Catherine Chikwakwi of Malawi was sandwiched by the Zimbabweans when taking the silver.

However, the athletes' times could not be ascertained by last night.

Varaidzo Shindi was fourth as Chiedza Chokore finished eighth to help Zimbabwe win another gold from the team event in the senior women's category.

It was, however, only in the senior women's section that NAAZ managed to field the minimum number of four athletes required to make a team.

Only two athletes Cutbert Nyasango and Nkosiyazi Sibanda represented Zimbabwe in the senior men's 12km race.

Nyasango won the silver as compatriot Sibanda settled for a bronze.

South Africa's Boy Soke finished ahead of the Zimbabweans in the race.

Zimbabwe ended up fielding just two athletes after Mike Fokorani missed the team bus to Zambia last Thursday as he opted to remain behind and search for his misplaced cellphone at the City Sports Centre.

The other athlete, Wirimai Juwawo had problems with his emergency travelling document that was not in order. Zimbabwe also failed to raise a team in the juniors where Jonathan Chinyoka and Joshua Sabao took part in the 8km race.

Sabao was second in 22 minutes 38 seconds as Chinyoka won bronze in a time of 24.07 while Tony Wamula won Zambia's only gold in 22.38.

Zambia's other medal came in the 6km junior women's race where Carol Siachisumo crossed the finish line in second place, six seconds behind the winner Miriam Thole of Malawi with a time of 20:39.

The Zimbabwe team returned home yesterday with NAAZ president Joseph Mungwari happy with the results.

"This is has been a very good performance by our athletes.

"It shows that we are going somewhere in terms of competing at the regional level.

"I am confident that we could have done even better had we managed to get a full compliment of the athletes going to Zambia," said Mungwari.