News / National
Charamba injured
2 hrs ago |
81 Views
Zimbabwe's medal hopeful in the 200m and key member of the national 4x100m relay team, Makanakaishe Charamba, has withdrawn from the African Senior Championships due to injury.
National athletics coach Phakamile Lisimati confirmed the development on Friday, just hours before the scheduled 4x100m relay final.
"He is feeling tightness in his legs and we can't risk," Lisimati said.
Charamba had played a crucial role in helping Zimbabwe qualify for the relay final on Thursday evening after producing a strong anchor leg performance in the heats.
His withdrawal comes after another setback for Team Zimbabwe, with top sprinter Tapiwanashe Makarawu also pulling out of the 4x100m relay due to a pulled muscle sustained before Thursday's race.
Lisimati was forced to reshuffle the team, bringing in captain Gerren Muwishi to replace Makarawu. The quartet of Methembe Tshuma, Muwishi, Ngoni Makusha and Charamba managed to secure qualification for the final despite the disruption.
However, with Muwishi also expected to compete in the men's 4x400m relay on Saturday, the coaching team opted against risking further injuries by continuing with the 4x100m relay event.
"I could not afford to temper with our 4x400m. I came up with a decision to pull out the 4x100m relay team instead of risking another injury or load problems," Lisimati said.
He added that Muwishi would now focus on the 4x400m relay, which is considered his stronger event, while another athlete, Thandazani Ndhlovu, had recovered in time following difficulties in the 400m competition.
"It is sad that Charamba will no longer even take part in the 200m, his favourite event in which we looked forward to see what he can do," Lisimati added.
The championships marked Charamba's debut appearance at the African Senior Championships.
Despite the setbacks, Zimbabwe still has medal hopes remaining in the competition, with athletes set to compete in the 400m hurdles and the men's 4x400m relay before the championships conclude on Sunday.
So far, Team Zimbabwe has collected three medals at the event — two silver and one bronze.
Miller won silver in the 100m hurdles, Dennis Hove claimed silver in the 400m, while Leeford Zuze secured bronze in the one-lap event.
National athletics coach Phakamile Lisimati confirmed the development on Friday, just hours before the scheduled 4x100m relay final.
"He is feeling tightness in his legs and we can't risk," Lisimati said.
Charamba had played a crucial role in helping Zimbabwe qualify for the relay final on Thursday evening after producing a strong anchor leg performance in the heats.
His withdrawal comes after another setback for Team Zimbabwe, with top sprinter Tapiwanashe Makarawu also pulling out of the 4x100m relay due to a pulled muscle sustained before Thursday's race.
Lisimati was forced to reshuffle the team, bringing in captain Gerren Muwishi to replace Makarawu. The quartet of Methembe Tshuma, Muwishi, Ngoni Makusha and Charamba managed to secure qualification for the final despite the disruption.
However, with Muwishi also expected to compete in the men's 4x400m relay on Saturday, the coaching team opted against risking further injuries by continuing with the 4x100m relay event.
He added that Muwishi would now focus on the 4x400m relay, which is considered his stronger event, while another athlete, Thandazani Ndhlovu, had recovered in time following difficulties in the 400m competition.
"It is sad that Charamba will no longer even take part in the 200m, his favourite event in which we looked forward to see what he can do," Lisimati added.
The championships marked Charamba's debut appearance at the African Senior Championships.
Despite the setbacks, Zimbabwe still has medal hopes remaining in the competition, with athletes set to compete in the 400m hurdles and the men's 4x400m relay before the championships conclude on Sunday.
So far, Team Zimbabwe has collected three medals at the event — two silver and one bronze.
Miller won silver in the 100m hurdles, Dennis Hove claimed silver in the 400m, while Leeford Zuze secured bronze in the one-lap event.
Source - The Chronicle
Join the discussion
Loading comments…
