Medals Galore for BUSE Staff
The 2024 Chancellor of State Universities Staff Games will go down as the most memorable chapter in Bindura University of Science Education’s (BUSE) staff sporting history after they brushed aside logistical challenges to finish in seventh position out of the thirteen participating institutions.
BUSE staff displayed true sportsmanship throughout the competition and were duly rewarded for their efforts by amassing 13 medals, a feat which had never been achieved by the institution since the inception of the games.
BASKETBALL
Women
The women’s basketball team became the pride of the BUSE staff sporting teams following their scintillating performance against their much-fancied opponents who had dominated the discipline in recent years. Although nothing much was expected of the girls, they managed to breeze through their group opponents and set a grudge match against fierce rivals, the University of Zimbabwe (UZ), for the third and fourth-place playoffs. Buoyed by a handful of supporters the girls dominated their opponents throughout the game with their impressive power plays and aggressive attack of the basket to secure the bronze medal.
TABLE TENNIS
The silver medal seemed to be fancied by both male and female table tennis teams during this prestigious contest. They both settled for the same accolade. The male team, led by Austin Machekanzombe, was excellent throughout the tourney and deservedly won silver to cap their fine performance. The ladies on the other hand stood their ground and in the end, they ended in second position spicing up an otherwise exciting tournament.
FIELD EVENTS
Women athletes performed above expectations in this category with the duo of Jane Mushininga and Chiedza Matsvange contributing to the university’s medals tally. Mushininga collected gold in Javelin and bronze in shotput. Matsvange snatched silver in javelin.
ATHLETICS
The BUSE men’s athletics team did not disappoint, joining their counterparts in the medals frenzy with a fantastic finish in the 4x100m relay to clinch gold, much to the delight of their teammates who had cheered them throughout the race despite being underdogs in this race.
Tafadzwa Muzuva had started the race well before Smart Shadreck ended the contest with a dramatic finish, sending the BUSE team into a celebratory mood.
In the men’s 100m para-athletics, Austin Machekanzombe produced a fine performance to claim a podium finish and get a bronze for team BUSE
DARTS
The BUSE staff men’s darts team also had something to smile about after having to endure until midnight to get a bronze medal in the tightly contested tournament whose matches were played well into the next morning. The midnight vigil conquest left them with their heads high and believing that they could be the best in the next competitions.
TUG OF WAR
Both BUSE staff men and women Tug of War teams flexed their muscles in this contest to dominate this power sport and earn podium finishes thereby stamping their authority on the game. However, it was the women’s team that proved to be too powerful for the UZ team, coming out first and getting a gold medal. The men’s team fizzled out in the end to hand the UZ team the G. They settled for the silver.
LAWN TENNIS
The duo of Tambudzai Mazive and Josphine Mushonga proved that they have what it takes by producing shockwaves in the elite sport to become the second-best team in this tournament and claim silver. All odds were against them before the games but they managed to brush off this apprenticeship jacket to be among the best.
POOL WOMEN
Mazive and Mushonga also proved that they are multitalented when they claimed gold in the pool tourney after they overcame their rather scrappy opponents in this game often associated with imbibing. The gold medalists seemed to have been inspired by this win so much that they vowed to repeat the same feat in the next competitions.
