Zimbabwe’s swimming team has ramped up preparations for the 16th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) which will be held in Australia next month.
The championships will be staged in Melbourne from December 13-18 with the United Kingdom-based Liam Davis, Donata Katai, South Africa-based Liam O’Hara and Nomvula Mjimba having been selected to represent the country.
They will join more than 1 000 athletes from over 180 countries.
Coach Masi Takaedza said they have set up a programme for the swimmers, who will be coming from different bases.
Katai is set to compete in the 50m and 100m backstroke race, Mjimba in 50m and 100m freestyle, Davis in 200m backstroke and O’Hara will be up for the 100m breaststroke and 200m individual medley.
“All the athletes are working hard and training regularly in preparation for the championships. They will be competing in different competitions this month where we hope to gauge how the preparations have been. We are getting periodic reports on training and all preparations,” Takaedza said.
In June, Katai, Mjimba and Davis competed in the 19th FINA World Championships in Hungary where they managed to post personal best times in their respective events.
Going into the competition, Takaedza believes the main target remains on improving times and also bettering their skills.
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Bulls to charge into Zimbabwe gold stocks
- Ndiraya concerned as goals dry up
- Letters: How solar power is transforming African farms
Keep Reading
“For every competition we take part in, the goal is always to do better than your previous performance and therefore we hope for new personal best times. Anything over and above will be a welcome bonus,” he said.
“With more experience at this level, our swimmers are getting better tactically. They are racing better and know what is expected at this level at approaching races despite not so much of good results on this tour, the future is bright for Zimbabwe swimming.
“At the previous championships, we noticed maturity in the way the athletes approached races. Race tactics have improved a lot. Over and above all, our athletes now know what is expected of them at this level of the competition and will not be overwhelmed by the competition.”
