By Christopher Kambande
Chitungwiza Municipality’s tug of war female athletes are revelling in being selected for the national team, which is set to represent the country at the World Tug of War Championships in Germany in September after grabbing a silver medal.
Front anchor Petronella Tole and back anchor Beauty Mwongowoyo were selected into the Zimbabwe team after a compelling performance by the ladies team during a contest of about 23 clubs at the All-Africa Tug of War Championships in Victoria Falls, held from July 19 to 21.
Tole and Mwongowoyo played for the national team, which went to the competitions as defending champions after winning in Kimberly, South Africa. This followed Chitungwiza’s ladies team performance, which saw it secure third place during the contest of the clubs under 560 kg category at Chinotimba Stadium.
The national team lost to South Africa after a tight contest in the final.
Despite losing to South Africa, Zimbabwe’s silver medal gave the nation the ticket to participate in Germany, and Chitungwiza’s female athletes are very excited to be part of this success story.
“I am very excited that, due to our team’s performance, I ended up being selected to play with the national team. It was also an exciting experience to play with different teams at the championships and to play for the national team,” Mwongowoyo told Chitungwiza News, a council publication.
Tole said, “I am also excited to be on the national team, considering my humble beginnings. At the onset, people called us names, ‘waste collectors.’ They looked down upon us. Today, we are here to tell a different story. I am pleased to be part of this story.”
Councillors and the management were impressed by both the female and male teams for putting Chitungwiza on the map.
While presenting medals to the ladies team yesterday, Deputy Mayor Councillor Edmore Muringa said:
“We have had heroes like the late Mr. Chitungwiza (John Chibadura), who was known for raising the town flag high. I’m glad that the torch has been passed to our tug-of-war athletes, who are making us proud.”
Meanwhile, the team’s tug of war coach, Mr. Charles Viola, attributed his team’s success at the tournament to hard work and perseverance.
“We were looked down upon, but through our hard work and team effort, we managed to triumph and show them what we’re really made of,” said coach Viola.
The men’s team was number four in its category.
Cllr. Muringa promised the teams maximum support “as they represent Chitungwiza Municipality with pride and passion.”
Amenities and Parks Superintendent, Mr. Aaron Mhonyera, said the athletes have changed people’s perceptions of Chitungwiza.
The Northern Ireland men’s national tug of war team are the current world champions.
Tug-of-War is a contest in which two teams pull at opposite ends of a rope until one drags the other over a central line.
