Zimbabwe’s men’s 4x400m relay quartet made history on Sunday night, clinching the country’s first-ever gold medal in the event at the Senior African Championships at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium.
Dennis Hove, Leeford Zuze, Gerren Muwishi and anchor Thandazani Ndhlovu combined to clock 3:01.11, holding off Kenya and Morocco in a tight finish. Kenya took silver in 3:01.34, while Morocco secured bronze in 3:01.35.
The win marks a breakthrough for Zimbabwe, whose previous best in the event was bronze at the 2022 championships in Mauritius. It came against a strong field that included Botswana and South Africa, the gold and silver medallists from the World Relays in Botswana just two weeks earlier. Both teams missed the podium in Accra, underlining Zimbabwe’s emergence as a serious contender on the continent.
The victory capped a rapid rise for the quartet. They opened their campaign in Lesotho with 3:03.00, then broke the national record with 3:00.69 in Botswana. A fortnight ago they lowered it again to 2:59.01, a time that also secured early qualification for the 2026 World Championships in Beijing.
Coach Lisimati credited the team’s consistency and unity for the result.
“It was not an accident. These boys have stuck together for a while and understand each other well. All are prepared to die for the team, and that’s what has been pushing them,” he said.
The team also dedicated the win to sprinter Methembe Tshuma, who suffered a fractured femur in a fall after a false start on Saturday. Tshuma sent a message of encouragement from his hospital bed in Legon two hours before the race.
The gold was part of Zimbabwe’s best-ever performance at the championships, with the team returning home with four medals. Hove added silver in the men’s 400m, Ashley Miller took silver in the 400m hurdles, and Zuze claimed bronze in the 400m for a 2-3 Zimbabwe finish.
