UZ pair shines in Ethiopia
By Godknows Matarutse
University of Zimbabwe (UZ) students Tinaye Muzenyi and Thembela Ndlovu brought cheers to the tertiary institution and the country at large after their recent triumph in the women’s doubles tennis, where they won gold at the 9th All Africa University Games held in Ethiopia recently.
Muzenyi, a Civil Engineering student and her doubles partner Ndlovu, who is studying Medicine, triumphed with a straight 6-0, 6-2 victory over their opponents from Uganda.
It was a double delight for Ndlovu as she went on to cap the fine outing for herself with another gold in the singles finals after dispatching her opponent from Madagascar.
“This is a great achievement for us. I’m so happy we managed to bring gold home. We worked really hard and we conquered,” Muzenyi revealed to the Daily News.
Deputy director for Sport and Recreation at the University of Zimbabwe Liberty Maidza was full of praise for the girls and believes the tertiary institution is on course in their quest to produce top athletes.
“Two gold medals from Ethiopia, I think it’s a huge achievement and it puts the university on the map. Out of the 56 universities that were there, University of Zimbabwe came eighth because of our two gold medals,” Maidza said.
“It means a lot to us and that is why the university is supporting sport. The University of Zimbabwe does not look only on the academic side but they look at building a student who is complete in all aspects; physical, emotional and psychological,” he said.
“We are not just doing this for the university but we are also doing it for the nation. When we go regional or international it’s not just about the university but it’s actually the flag of Zimbabwe that will be raised.
“We are still building and we hope to have proper structures that will cater for the needs of our athletes. We are not taking sport lightly.
“We have produced quite a number of athletes that went on to represent the country in different sports like basketball, soccer, hockey and volleyball.” – DailyNews
