MUTARE – Manicaland province has walked the talk after emerging as the overall tournament winners of the 13th edition of Zimbabwe National Youth Games, which they hosted.
The province grabbed 12 gold, 5 silver and 8 bronze medals.
The hosts had three more gold medals than second placed Harare province which clutched a total of 34 medals including 16 silver and 9 bronze medals.
Manicaland won 11 of its gold medals in athletics and the other in boys tennis. It also took 2 silver and 6 bronze medals in athletics.
Harare swept gold in male and female basketball as well as girls’tennis.
Photo credit: www.newsday.com -An unidentified basket ball player dribbles the ball during a match
Mashonaland East was third with 8 gold, 9 silver and 7 bronze medals marginally beating Masvingo which also had 8 gold medals but only 3 silver and 5 bronze.
Mashonaland West, which is hosting next year’s edition of the games was fifth with 7 gold, 6 silver and 31 bronze medals to record the second biggest tally of medals after Harare.
Surprisingly Matabeleland South the bulk of whose participants were ejected for failing to pay affiliation fees was sixth with 6 gold, 3 silver and 3 bronze medals. It got most of its medals from boxing which it dominated with 4 gold and a silver medal.
Bulawayo which won boy’s soccer after beating Matabeleland North 4-1 in a penalty lottery earlier was seventh after amassing 5 gold, 16 bronze and 13 silver medals to record the joint highest number of medals.
Mashonaland Central was eighth again with 5 gold medals but only managing 3 silver and 3 bronzes.
Matabeleland North was the second worst performer with only 3 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze medals. It however had the least number of medals.
Midlands came last after only managing 2 gold, 3 silver and 5 bronze medals.
Invited Manica province from Mozambique which only competed in handball and volleyball failed to secure any medal.
