BY MAGRETH RUZVIDZO Zimbabwe Volleyball team coach Aaron Mutede yesterday said he was elated after his charges clinched a silver medal against all odds at the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Youth Games in Lesotho on Sunday.
Mutede said they lost a number of key players, who were sitting for their examinations but still managed to go all the way to the final where they eventually lost 3-0 to Botswana.
“It was not an easy journey coming from a two-year non-sporting break due to COVID-19 restrictions. We also faced some challenges in our opening matches due to the change of playing environment from outdoor courts to indoor courts and the type of volleyball used indoors are totally different from the ones we use at home,” Mutede said.
“I had a thorough evaluation of our environment and circumstances which made us ill-perform at individual and team level. We then worked hard fortifying mental strength and this translated to practice and the boys responded well, thereby giving us good results.”
Mutede added that he was satisfied with the silver medal as well as individual awards won by Dean Mukusa and Tinevimbo Goto, who won the best service and best blocker, respectively.
“I’m happy with the silver medal, considering that it was the first time for the Zimbabwe Volleyball team to participate in the AUSC games. The boys did well,” he said.
“From the time we started our preparations at home we had set our goals and getting to finals was the main goal, so we managed to adjust, we were certain that we are now able to achieve our set goals.”
Mutede said sports should not be stopped because of COVID-19.
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“COVID-19 is real, we have to live with it and sports should continue. It is important for all sport codes to follow COVID-19 protocols strictly to ensure that sport is enjoyed.”
“We learnt that there is need to develop proper indoor volleyball facilities in most communities and our sport industry will grow and produce international athletes.”
Team Zimbabwe managed to bag a total of 49 medals in almost every sport code — swimming (26), tennis (5) whilst gymnastics, boxing, taekwondo, judo and volleyball men each scooped a single medal.
Follow Magreth on Twitter @MagrethRuzvidzo
