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Sports Reporter
THE annual Nkulumane Choppies 10km road race takes place tomorrow with a good field expected to take to the starting point. Athletes will certainly be all out to boost their coffers ahead of the festive season. Stiff competition is expected to be the order of the morning.

Manuel Mpofu, the chairman of the Bulawayo Athletics Board, confirmed that the event would take place tomorrow and that all was set.

The event, which started in the 1990s, will be run under the Choppies banner for the second time after previous sponsor Raj Modi of Spar sold his shareholding to the Botswana based retail giant. In the past the competition used to be run under the Spar banner.

So athletes will be eager to get their names on the winners’ list of the second race and improve on last year’s times so that they become the Nkulumane Choppies 10km race record holders.

Sponsors have set aside R100,000 as sponsorship money to be spread in a number of categories.

“We are so ever grateful to the support we are getting from the sponsors. All is set for what should be an exciting event and we are looking forward to a good race in all the categories,” said Mpofu.

By yesterday some of the country’s top athletes had confirmed their participation.

“We already have Hwange’s Phathisa Ngwabi among those who have confirmed, Kelvin Pangiso, Elijah Mabhunu, Nkosiyazi Sibanda, Rutendo Nyahora, Samukeliso Moyo and Olivia Chitate.

“In the wheelchair category some of the notable names we have had confirming include Elford Moyo, Edmund Makutya and Samson Muroyiwa. It is a quality field for a quality event,” said Mpofu.

In the men’s category, Sibanda’s power and ability to keep the same pace will come under strong scrutiny from Ngwabi, Pangiso and Mabhunu.

Mabhunu, winner of the Gutu Half Marathon recently, could find his legs too heavy as he has not yet fully recovered but would be a good bet for the first prize.

Nyahora, Moyo and Chitate could find good competition from Margaret Mahohoma if she turns up.

Athletes will be using the race to warm up for the Joshua Mqabuko Marathon scheduled for December 22 in the City of Kings and those that do well could be considered for the Angola New Year’s Eve race.

Winners in the men and women’s categories will receive R5,000, runners-up R3,500, third runner home R3,000 and fourth athlete home R2,000.

It is one of a few events where there is parity between men and women in terms of prizes and the organisers and sponsors deserve praise for that.

Junior men and women’s top four finishers are assured of R4,000, R2,500, R2,000 and R1,000 respectively.

The first wheelchair athlete home will receive R3,500 with the second athlete to pocket R2,000. The third placed will receive R1,500 and fourth R1,000. Organisers have done well to keep all the prizes impressive.