TZ learn lessons from fourth-place finish in Handball Africa Zone V

KIBAHA: TANZANIA Handball Federation (THF) President Michael Martin Chebawala has described the country’s fourth-place finish at the Women’s IHF Nations Trophy – Africa Zone V as a learning experience, promising a stronger campaign when the competition returns next year.

Tanzania finished fourth after missing out on the bronze medal, with Rwanda claiming third place at the tournament held from November 4 to 8 at the Filbert Bayi Multi Sports Centre in Kibaha, Coast Region.

Chebawala congratulated the participating teams and thanked the International Handball Federation (IHF) for supporting the competition, which brought together teams from the region.

He admitted that failing to secure a podium finish on home soil was disappointing but insisted the result would serve as motivation for Tanzania to prepare better for next year’s men’s competition.

“Although we, as hosts, failed to become champions, I take this result as a challenge and will start preparing for next year’s men competition. Congratulations to Rwanda. As Tanzania, we are ready to work towards a better performance,” Chebawala said.

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He added that accepting defeat was part of competition and that the federation would use the experience to strengthen its preparations for future assignments.

National team player Monika Joseph Mpanda shared similar sentiments, describing the tournament as an important learning opportunity despite the team’s failure to achieve its desired results.

Mpanda said Tanzania had suffered three defeats during the competition, including their semi-final encounter and the subsequent match, which left them fourth overall.

She, however, expressed confidence that the technical bench had identified the team’s weaknesses and would use the lessons learnt to improve preparations ahead of next year’s edition.