Bindura University of Science Education’s National Sports Academy (NSA) continues to grow in its mandate to identify and nurture talent as it took its newly recruited talentees to Chinhoyi for the Mashonaland West Athletics Invitation.
Martha Chipuriro, Olwami L. Mpofu, Aisha Matanha, Shalom Sendi, Anesu Nhahuma and Tanaka Ruzivee performed outstandingly under the watchful eye of Cuban coach Carlos Manuel Isidoria Wuitar in under-15 and under-16 sprint and medium distance events.
After the competition, coach Carlos was impressed and said:
“This was a warm-up competition and it showed me that these kids are hungry for success. Some like Aisha wanted to try the 400m yet they are 200m athletes. I am very impressed by their performance and I am sure we can build them into world-class athletes.”
Academy administration assistant Mr. Russell Chimhare said the academy is focused on recruiting youth talent from around the country to nurture them for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games which will be held in Dakar, Senegal.
“We aim to provide Team Zimbabwe with a strong lineup of athletes for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games. This is why we are recruiting young athletes who will be in the Youth Olympics age bracket. We have had success at such games before with the likes of Maryjoy Mudyiravanji, Titus Nyati, and Enlitha Ncube who represented Zimbabwe and the Academy at the 2014 Naijing Summer Youth Olympics,” said Chimhare.
The National Sports Academy has produced exceptional athletes in recent times. Privilege Chikara was recently awarded the Scholar-Athlete of the Year in the USA by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). She follows another Academy athlete, Tapiwa Makarawu, who won the same title for the indoor track and field.
Chikara fame has skyrocketed since she moved to the USA. She was recruited into the Academy by veteran coach Cuthbert Nyasango in rural Chivhu as a bubbling 15-year-old talent. She has won medals in various competitions across the country and continent before moving to the USA.
In April, Chikara won the National Women’s Track Athlete of the Year, despite participating in only the second half of the athletics season in the USA. With adequate financial assistance and support, the National Sports Academy will produce medal-winning athletes who will dominate sports on the world stage.
