Zimbabwe Olympic Committee chief government Marlene Gadzirayi believes the long run is promising if the nation can construct on the positives from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The Games ended on Sunday evening with the official closing ceremony on the Stade de France.
While Zimbabwe for a fourth consecutive version of the Games, fell quick when it comes to medals, Gadzirayi is inspired by the performances posted by the athletes on the Paris Games.
Zimbabwe had seven athletes competing in athletics, rowing, and swimming. Four of them straight certified for the quadrennial multi-sport occasion, and three acquired universality slots.
The finest efficiency got here from sprinters Tapiwanashe Makarawu and Makanakaishe Charamba, who reached the boys’s 200m closing.
Isaac Mpofu completed in place 19 within the males’s marathon.
It was a historic second for Zimbabwe to have two athletes in a dash closing.
The final time Zimbabwe had a sprinter within the closing was on the Beijing 2008 Olympics when Brian Dzingai made it into the ultimate. Initially, he was positioned sixth earlier than he was upgraded to fourth place after the disqualification of two athletes.
Makarawu and Charamba completed sixth and eighth respectively.
“I consider they’ve placed on an excellent present doing so nicely. Of notice is having two sprinters in 200m on the beginning line-up of the ultimate.
“So that was excellent, and watching Makarawu and Charamba competing at that degree, notably within the first Olympic present, a primary Olympic participation could be very commendable.
“It is a testomony to the work they’ve put in over time, from after they began competing, after they began working.”
Zimbabwe had Paige van der Westhuizen and Denilson Cyprianos in swimming after the 2 bought universality slots.
Competing, the expectation was for them to enhance their instances, with the hope that they construct on the expertise for the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
They each bowed out within the heats with Van der Westhuizen ranked 25 out of 29 swimmers that competed within the girls’s 100m freestyle whereas Cyprianos bought a private finest and was positioned 28 total within the males’s 200m backstroke.
In rowing Stephen Cox was ranked 29 out of 33 individuals.
Rutendo Nyahora acquired a universality slot within the girls’s marathon. She dropped out of the race as she struggled from the early levels.
“I consider Team Zimbabwe has acquitted itself nicely and credit score additionally to the coaches . . . They are the unsung heroes and these Olympics they’ve labored onerous.”
“So, for me, it is extra about, we have to put money into sport. It’s not only a cry for cash, it is not only a cry for something.
“But we’re taking a look at amenities, we’re taking a look at sponsorships, we’re taking a look at partnerships, notably with these athletes as a result of most of them, or all of them it was their first Olympics besides Rutendo, who’s again after Rio 2016.
“But it is actually about making certain that we put our cash into these athletes as a result of that’s the place lifeblood comes from as a result of we’re wanting on the amenities, the technicalities and even making certain that our coaches as nicely, are also a part of the benchmarking train.
“I consider we’re at that degree and we simply have to push when it comes to that funding in sport,” Gadzirayi.
The ZOC chief government harassed the significance of athletes usually competing at main competitions.
“So allow us to additionally not pull them again and simply wait till one other 4 years as a result of Olympic participation, Olympic qualification, and moving into the Olympics just isn’t a one-day factor.
“It’s an entire funding over a number of years, eight to 10 years even. So, we’re in Paris however already we all know 2028 is Los Angeles, let’s work on that.”
Most of the athletes are flying again to their bases from the Games.