The National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (NAAZ) junior coach Aaron Whyte has commended athletes for the competitive spirit they exhibited at the national Junior Championships despite no one qualifying for the upcoming 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships.
NAAZ hosted its national Junior Championships on Saturday for both track and field events, which attracted hordes of athletes at the National Sports Stadium.
This event was an opportunity for the juniors to showcase their talent and meeting the qualifying times for the upcoming global showpiece.
Panashe Nhenga and David Nyamufarira are the two athletes that have booked their slots for global meet.
“The event went well, and the turnout was enormous. We were targeting 200 runners, but we got 430 plus which is highly commendable. The performance was top-notch, and you could see that the athletes had come prepared for this event-credit to the coaches who are doing a great job,” Whyte said.
Whyte said those who have qualified for the World Championships needed to start preparations.
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“We need to start organising high performance camps where these athletes start working with high performance coaches. Our target should be to go beyond just qualifying but aim for semis and finals.
We also have the National Senior Champs coming up in June and our juniors will also have an opportunity to compete,” he said.
The 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships will be held in Lima, Peru, from August 27 to 31.