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Maybe a die-hard sports fan might recognise him for his incredible accomplishments on the Seminoles’ track and field team. Or perhaps a classmate might remember him for his unique-sounding name.
But as he makes his way from building to building, Makusha appears no different than any other young student pursuing his degree.
Ten thousand miles away though, in his home of Zimbabwe, Ngoni Makusha represents so much more.
He is a superstar. A hero. An inspiration to a nation’s youth.
“I think this is an avenue for me to impact the country and bring a different mindset to the young kids,” said Makusha, who remains in school despite turning professional and blossoming – almost overnight – into an international track star.
First, he broke the all-time National Collegiate Athletics Association mark in June when he won the 100 metres at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
He posted a time of 9.89 seconds while also becoming the first person since Carl Lewis to win both the 100 and the long jump at the same NCAA meet.
Then in early September, Makusha became the first Zimbabwean to win a medal at the World Track and Field Championships when he won a bronze in the long jump.
And in the meantime, he agreed to a contract with Chinese shoe manufacturer Li Ning, which brought him a six-figure signing bonus.
For virtually any college student, that would be a lot of money.
For a college student who hails from one of the world’s smaller economies, it’s a staggering sum.
“It felt like it was a prank,” Makusha said of the contract. “I just couldn’t believe it. I almost felt like I was robbing somebody. It was just one of those moments where you ask, ‘Am I really worth it?’ You don’t know what to say.”
Much of that money is going to Makusha’s family in Chitungwiza just outside Harare in Zimbabwe.
As he finishes up his degree here in Tallahassee – he is set to graduate in December with a degree in Applied Economics – he plans to help his parents into a better living situation.
“I want to move them to a better house where they have more space and freedom,” Makusha said. “I think it’s every person’s dream to be able to make your parents proud of you and to be able to change something in your parents’ life.
“That’s very important to me.”
So is his role as a national idol.
Though Makusha didn’t qualify for the finals of the 100m at the World Championships, he still is considered one of the fastest runners on the planet and will be competing in both events at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
And he will represent a nation that has never had a track star quite like him.
“We’ve never had a sprinter in Zimbabwe,” Makusha said. “We’ve never had someone who ran world-class times in Zimbabwe. All the kids in Zimbabwe, they would watch Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell and Usain Bolt and they used to brag about those people – they never had any Zimbabweans running those times.
“So for them to now know that a Zimbabwean is doing that, it changes a lot of boys’ and girls’ mindsets.
And they know they can do that, too. They can be on the same level as the people from Jamaica and the United States.”
Even now, less than three months into his professional career, Makusha is slowly becoming one of the most most famous athletes in the history of Zimbabwe – joining the likes of Olympic swimmer Kirsty Coventry.
But FSU sprints coach Ken Harnden, who also is a native of Zimbabwe, points out there are distinct differences between the two.
First, Coventry is white. And 98 percent of Zimbabwe’s population is not.
Also, she was raised in an upper-class family. With her own swimming pool.
Makusha, like most Zimbabweans, was raised poor. Just having running water was a luxury.
“I think what Ngoni does is, he gives hope to the common man,” Harnden said.
“To the everyday, young black male or female that is growing up in ay tough environment – he gives them hope. It’s a third-world country. Many live below poverty level. And I’m not talking about American poverty level. I’m talking about African poverty level.
“So he’s a great success story. And he’s done everything the right way. He is a huge success story.”
So giving his country a reason to cheer, any reason to celebrate, is a reward that Makusha cherishes.
“A lot of people are really happy for me,” he said.
“And I’m getting to be a household name. I’ve done pretty good things for the nation.” – NoleSports.com.
Online Reporter