The Zimbabwe national under-19 women's team finished fourth at the just ended Zone VI (Africa) International Handball Federation Trophy 2023 which took place in Johannesburg, South Africa.
They failed to register a single win.
Zimbabwe was drawn in pool B together with Zambia and the hosts, South Africa while Pool A comprised of Mozambique, Madagascar, Malawi and Seychelles.
Coach Sipho Mahlangu Mahlangu said they had failed to keep up with the pace of their competitors.
"It wasn't a great performance for us in terms of results. Lack of experience and game time was our major downfall as we were not able to register any win. Though we managed to sneak through to the semis after Zambia was disqualified, we couldn't proceed beyond that stage and finished fourth," Mahlangu said.
Going forward, the coach said teams need to have more time to prepare for such tournaments.
"I think as a team the major lesson that we learnt was that our standard of play has gone down and preparing for such tournaments need time. Although the girls tried their best, there were short comings in the basics of the games, which then made it difficult to implement game tactics effectively. There is need also to deliberate effort to ensure that girls are actively aged in handball," he said.
The team arrived in the country yesterday from South Africa.
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