The 24-year-old swimming sensation broke her third world record of the week when she won four gold medals at the world short-course championships in Manchester, England.
The victory gave Kirsty a morale boost ahead of the August Olympic Games.
More importantly, Kirsty is the only hope expected to bring Zimbabwe some joy, following the dismal loss by the Zimbabwe under-23 soccer squad, tennis team, hockey, boxing, athletes and other sporting disciplines.
According to reports from Manchester, Coventry smashed American Allison Wagner’s 200m records by 1.66 seconds to set a new best of 2:06.13.
Apart from the first 200m gold medals, Kirsty banked another one in the 200m individual medley, 200m backstroke, 100m backstroke and 400m medley. – CAJ News
Warriors slip down the rankings
BY SIMON RUSITU
HARARE
The Warriors have dropped four places in the latest world rankings despite beating Botswana 1-0 in an international friendly last week.
ccording to the latest FIFA/Coca-Cola world rankings, the Warriors are now 98th in the world with 331 points, having been at 94 with 343 points in the March rankings.
The Warriors are tied in 98th position with Gabon and will need to gain further ground in the next two dates that FIFA has set aside for international friendly matches on August 20 and November 19.
hana retained their place as Africa’s top ranked side for the third month. The Black Stars are back in 14th position in the world in the rankings after they had dropped a place down to 15th position in the February rankings. Cameroon are the second best-ranked African side at 17th in the world, with Ivory Coast in 22nd spot. Â
African champions Egypt remain outside the top 20 teams in the world in 30th position of the world ranking and fourth in Africa. Nigeria are in 39th place and Guinea in 41st.
Bafana Bafana’s victory over Paraguay in an international friendly last month helped South Africa climb two positions up  from 71 to 69  in the latest table.
Argentina remained top of the FIFA world rankings but with just 10 points separating them from South American rivals Brazil.
Lethargy gives Masvingo draw with Chapungun
MASVINGO
Zimbabwe’s cup kings, Masvingo United displayed some lethargic performances that saw them being held by arch-rivals Chapungun United in a CBZ premiership match at Mucheke Stadium in Masvingo on Sunday.
Asipo Haapo, as Masvingo United are affectionately called, surged ahead in as early as the 15th minute through Martin Vengesayi to send a packed stadium into frenzy.
But the Thornhill-based Air Force of Zimbabwe side replied through Taurai Marufu for an equaliser.
Had it not been for some poor officiating that favoured the host team, Masvingo United could have lost the match 2-1, but the match official had other views when he blew to end the match following a brilliant header by the visitors.
Masvingo United has lost a number of influential players due to salary rows with the club sponsor, Tanda ‘Mhunga’ Tavaruva.
The salary dispute saw big names such as Zimbabwe goalkeeper Tafadzwa Dube and other senior players leave the outfit. – CAJ News
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Gunners fall to Lengthens
BY GRACE CHIRUMANZU
HARARE
Premiership debutantss Gunners suffered their first defeat of the season at the hands of Lengthens at Gwanzura Stadium on Sunday.
The side, which had given its followers exciting shows in the opening matches, beating Motor Action and Underhill 2-0 and 2-1 respectively, fell to Lengthens 0-1 in a drab match of the national soccer league.
A conversion of a rebound by Dan Mteki in the last minutes of the game was a relief to former Gunners founder member Moses Chunga.
Both sides wasted a number of chances in the first half much to the boredom of a small crowd at Gwanzura.
Chunga appreciated his charges’ efforts, telling The Zimbabwean “the boys fought to the end” and commended the opponents’ performance, saying “they could have scored” though “with a bit of luck”.
Gunners head coach Bigboy Mawiwi appeared to have seen the defeat coming. He accepted his downfall to fellow premiership lightweights, Lengthens, as a “punishment of the chances lost” by his charges.
“In a game of football, if you lose a number of chances like we did, you will get punished. We created so many chances that just passed throughout the match,” he said.
Gunners skipper Zhaini Jambo and Thanks Tengwe, who were the scoring pair in both their side’s victorious encounters, were outstanding the whole of the afternoon despite the disappointing last minute defeat.
The side hopes to make amends this weekend when they clash with Caps FC at Dzivarasekwa.
“We are hoping to regroup quickly and correct our mistakes to make sure we won’t miss any chances to come by in the next match,” said an optimistic Mawiwi.
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Tough going for Highlanders
BULAWAYO
Premiership runners-up Highlanders found the going tough on Sunday when they were held to a 1-1 draw by visiting CAPS Football Club in another exciting premiership league match played at Barbourfields Stadium in Bulawayo.
CAPS FC scored first through Stephen Kahondo before Bosso equalised from a Richard Choruma strike in regulation time to save the Bulawayo soccer giants from embarrassment.
Just like Dynamos, Highlanders are also representing Zimbabwe in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Confederation Cup but, locally, the two football giants of Zimbabwe were found wanting when it mattered most. – CAJ News
Win gives Chevrons pride but not semis place
BY SPORTS REPORTER
HARARE
Elton Chigumbura inspired the Zimbabwe Chevrons to a 12-run win over the Nashua Titans in their Standard Bank Pro20 cricket match at SuperSport Park in Centurion last Friday. Â
The win was too late for the Chevrons, who won their opener before losing the next four matches, as they could not make the semi-finals.
It was, however, an important result for pride as the Chevrons finished second from bottom with eight points. Finishing bottom would have been humiliating for a star-studded side dominated by players with international caps.
The Titans produced their third successive hesitant top-order batting performance and Chigumbura did enough with the ball to leave their innings in tatters as he took five for 13, the best figures in the competition’s history. Â
After that incredible spell, the Titans were in dire straits on 10 for five, chasing 152. Â
But then came an inspired innings by Roelof van der Merwe, whose 70 not-out off 49 balls put the Titans back in with an unlikely shout at the death. Â
The 23-year-old seems to know no fear and he obviously hadn’t heard the situation was hopeless. Â
He smashed nine fours and a six and the Titans went into the death needing 24 runs off the last two overs. Â
Gwekwerere back on goal-scoring form
JOHANNESBURG
It might have taken him months to produce the goods for Moroka Swallows this season, but Birds fans will not mind after Evans Gwekwerere scored the match winner that sent his team back to the top eight in the ABSA Premiership.
The Zimbabwean substitute leaped highest to head-in Cecil Oersen’s cross to hand his team a 2-1 victory over title contenders Ajax Cape Town at Germiston Stadium on Sunday.
“It is exciting to have scored the goal. I am positive that regaining my goal-scoring touch as well as regaining fitness has enhanced my chances of finding more goals to finish the season strongly,” said the Makonde-born striker.
The gap-toothed striker however said he was concerned that he was not getting more game time, saying it was also contributing to his poor goal-scoring form.
wekwerere, who has struggled to live up to his lofty expectations after signing amid pomp and fanfare for Swallows last season, insisted he would defy such criticism.
He scored five league goals last season. – CAJ News
Top coach heads for Cairo workshop
BY SIMON RUSITU
HARARE
Zimbabwe’s senior soccer coach Valinhos is to attend a two-day workshop in Cairo, Egypt, aimed at reviewing the 2008 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations that took place in Ghana early this year.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF), as part of its efforts to develop the game, is organising the workshop for head coaches from the 53-affiliated national associations.
It is the third edition of the series, which saw similar workshops being held in Ghana in 2004 and Morocco in 2006. Zimbabwe did not qualify for the 2008 edition, having made appearances in Tunisia in 2004 and Egypt in 2006. Â
But Valinhos travelled to Ghana to spy on Namibia and Guinea, the Warriors’ opponents in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers that begin at the end of May. Â
Post published in: Zimbabwe Sports News