Story by Mthokozisi Dube
THE Zimbabwe Universities Sports Association (ZUSA) is working tirelessly to nurture competitive swimming talent, as the sport is set to make its debut at the Confederation of Universities Sports Council (CUCSA) Games scheduled for Gaborone, Botswana, next year.
With limited time and growing competition in the region, ZUSA is accelerating efforts to identify and prepare university-level swimmers who can represent Zimbabwe on the continental stage.
Meanwhile, the local university sports scene continues to witness a fascinating trend – sporting excellence running in families.
A number of rising stars share surnames with established figures in Zimbabwean sport, prompting fans to coin the phrase: “It runs in the family.”
From the Ndlovu brothers in football, to the Mutangas in motorsport, another family is slowly announcing its entry as a must-follow the Bwanyas.
The Bwanyas are stealing the show in swimming with siblings Nicky and Leeroy enrolled at different universities sharing the podium at the just-ended Zimbabwe Universities Sports Association Cluster 3 Games held in Bulawayo.
The two athletes believe the sky is the limit.
“I feel great after bagging three gold medals, and what makes it special is to see my young brother also getting gold. It feels really special, we are destined for dizzy heights,” Athlete, Africa University, Nicky Bwanya said.
“It feels amazing sharing the stage with your sister. We normally do this at home, so it was a matter of putting all this into execution,” Athletes NUST, Leeroy Bwanya said.
Twelve universities participated in the ZUSA cluster three games, which also featured swimming, hockey and golf.
“As Lupane states, we are happy to be hosting this year’s ZUSA games. We are overwhelmed by the turnout. We would like to appreciate our principals for supporting sporting excellence,” Sports Director, Lupane State University, Jabulani Mpofu said.
Marking the last flagship sporting meet on the ZUSA calendar, the sub-association has created synergies with the Zimbabwe Aquatics to nurture talent for the sport, which will be included in the CUCSA games set for Botswana next year.
“It is our last competitive event. After this, we will have reviews and strategic meetings. We would want to review our constitution. We have made partnerships with swimming so that we nurture athletes in the sport. Next year, swimming will be a sport code at the CUSCSA games, so we are trying to find out athletes for the competition,” ZUSA president, Olivarth Guvuriro said.
ZUSA is a sub-association which is affiliated with the Zimbabwe Tertiary Institutions Sports Union.
