By Samuel Lukhanda –

THE Zambia Amateur Athletics Association (ZAAA) last All-Comers Meet on Thursday June 25 was a disaster to say the least. Forgive my bluntness but what else should I call it?
I was personally really pumped up for this All-Comers Meet at National Heroes Stadium in the capital especially after the earlier one produced record smashing runs. What a venue to return to and qualification to the World Championships just added the needed tonic. Alas, I was wrong.
This was the last chance saloon for any athlete in the country with ambitions of competing at the World Championships and the organizers kept on drumming this message before the event. Even seven foreign sprinters saw the opportunity.
With a field of 250 athletes, this was probably the biggest field ever in this country for a meet even by world standards, they failed to qualify even a single athlete to the World Championships. It should sting the organizers which is ZAAA as it hurts us fans but the clubs and their athletes should be ashamed.
ZAAA should be kicking themselves for this embarrassment because this stage was set to qualify athletes. None of the 250 even matched the qualifying time for any category. ZAAA and their affiliates did not do their homework otherwise why bring runners who have no chance to qualify to such an event?
They should at least bring athletes who are within striking distance even if it was an All-Comers because the aim was to qualify them. It is high time the screening becomes rigorous so as to give even the few fans that turn up some spectacle so they can go and spread the word.
I feel for the organizers who put up a brave face trying to find an excuse for the poor show. They blamed the weather pointing to the fact that it was too hot and windy. No one says exactly what temperatures were obtaining in the magnificent venue on the day. How strong the winds were and in what direction were the winds blowing?
It all points to the fact that they went fishing for excuses. Okey, lets give them the benefit of doubt but it will still be argued that when the records tumbled in the first meet, it was in the same stadium. No one complained of these conditions. This is the reasons I don’t buy it folks.
The pressure is on Sydney Siame as again he failed to replicate his record smashing run in the 100m. The Nike dressed Siame was clocked at 9.87seconds to his breaking the Gerald Phiri held national record of 10.03seconds.
Siame is a decent sprinter but doubts have been raised after two consecutive failures to match or even come closer to his time. The fastest man in the Diamond League this season is Akani Simbine of South Africa who timed 9.99 beating a strong field of former World Champions in Asafa Powell, Justin Gatlin and Tyson Gay. He is the only one who has gone sub 10 this season.
That is another reason Siame handlers need to take the necessary steps to keep the young athlete on that trajectory because he is something special in whatever manner you look at it.
Our African 400m champion Kabange Mupopo had a poor show too. There is another reason we should be concerned ahead of the London Worlds. There is still time to rectify this dip of form before London. It starts with the Southern Region Championships in Harare next month. We will be watching.
For comments sammullukhanda@gmail.com or twit to @LukhandaSamuel