Minority sports continue to excel

BY GRACE CHIRUMANZU

The country’s minority sports such as karate, motorsport, tennis, swimming, BMX, triathlon and athletics, has for long lived under the discrimination of spectators as most Zimbabweans shy away from their fields.
But the lack of a full-house support as seen at football matches around the world has never dragged down the different sportsmen and sportswomen from doing what they know best and they will continue to be inspired this year after dominating the Annual National Sports Awards, last month.
Swimming sensation Kirsty Coventry, kyokushinkaikan karate icon Samson Muripo, Motorsport racer, Jamie White, tennis ace Cara Black, long distance runner Stephen Muzhingi and Sharon Tawengwa will be continue to aim high after proving to be experts in their fields.
Promising motorsport racer, Axcil Jefferies, swimming champion James Lawson and young tennis idol, Takanyi Garan’anga must have walked to the podium to receive an award for great sporting ability as a Junior Sportsman of the Year with great pride.
Andrea Brown {triathlon), Tyla-Shae Davidson (BMX) and swimmer Samatha Welch lined up for the Junior Sportswoman of the year.
These youngsters together with their seniors have not only made names for themselves for receiving a medal or more, at the continental and international arena, but they have brought honor not only to their country but also to their different sports.
In such a country as Japan where the European country is well known for their martial art sport, karate, Zimbabwe will be remembered for producing the first African world champion in the form of a zealous fighter, sensei Muripo.
The third dan black belt karate teacher impressively knocked down experienced international karatekas to win the big award, last June.
Coventry has over the years registered the country on the world map to maintain her status as an epitome of success in the waters of sporting circles.
At a young age of 15, Jefferies who dreams of becoming “the youngest Formula One champion” has made a mark in motorsport racing circuits not only by winning the Malaysia GP race but proving a force to reckon with in Singapore and Japan.
Out of his expectations, long distance runner, Muzhingi, was not awarded with a whooping $US100 000 by the government, like was the case with Kirsty Coventry, in 2008, but the 2009 ANSA under the category, sportsman of the year, honored his achievement as the winner of the comrades Marathon in South Africa.
The world rankings of the women’s tennis doubles have seen Zimbabwe’s Black hogging the limelight ahead of renowned tennis heavyweights, the William sisters (Venus and Serena).

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