NATIONAL Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (NAAZ) president Tendai Tagara has hailed the men’s 4x400m relay team’s performance at the World Athletics Relays Gaborone 2026 as a defining moment in Zimbabwe’s sporting history.
Tagara’s comments follow Zimbabwe’s men’s 4x400m relay team’s fifth-place finish in Sunday’s world final, sealing qualification for the World Athletics Championships Beijing 2027.
“This is a proud moment for Zimbabwe. Our athletes have demonstrated exceptional talent and determination on the world stage. Qualification for the World Athletics Championships Beijing 2027 is a significant achievement and a clear signal of our growing competitiveness,” he said.
The team — Dennis Hove, Leeford Zuze, Gerren Muwishi and Thandazani Ndlovu — emerged as one of the tournament’s surprise packages.
Their path to the final was highlighted by a standout performance in Saturday’s heats, where they shattered the national record with a time of 2:59.01, becoming the first Zimbabwean relay team to reach a global final and the first to break the three-minute barrier.
In Sunday’s final, Zimbabwe clocked 2:59.79 to finish fifth behind Botswana, South Africa, Australia and Portugal.
The result earned the team US$6 000 for finishing fifth, while the winners pocketed US$40 000.The performance also reflects long-term planning by the National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe, which set a target earlier this year of breaking into the world’s top 20 athletics programmes.
Zimbabwe’s leap from 36th place in the world rankings into the global elite further underscores the team’s rapid progress.
- All set for NAAZ Junior Championships.
- 60 shortlisted for African Junior Athletics champs
- 50 Zim athletes in Zambia for Africa Junior Champs
- NAAZ impresses by Olympics representation
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Botswana won gold in a championship record of 2:54.47, with South Africa taking silver, meaning Southern Africa now boasts three of the world’s strongest 4x400m teams.
With qualification for Beijing 2027 secured, attention now turns to sustaining the momentum, as Zimbabwe transitions from participation to genuine contention on the world stage.
