Athletics coach optimistic

ATHLETICS coach Khumbulani Dube believes sprinters Tapiwanashe Makarawu and Makanakaishe Charamba will add to the strong African composition in the Paris Olympics’ 200m final stages.

The Zimbabwean duo is among the world’s top eight athletes in the distance, with just two months before the Olympics.

With the United States collegiate finals and season over, athletes based there would have to be managed to stay active.

To any athlete on scholarship, it is important to fare well in competitions to keep the bursary going. The Olympics often come after their season and hence many fail to do better because of a lack of a deliberate active programme for them as compared to those back home who still have several meetings at home and in the continent.

In a bid to ensure that they stay sharp and within eyeshot, the National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe says the US-based contingent will be an integral part of the Zimbabwe team for the Doula Senior African Championships next month.

Dube, a Kenya-trained athletics coach and former Keip Keno Athletics Club of Gwanda athlete, is, however, wary of favourite Noah Lyles of the US in the 200m. He could be reserving his gas for the final onslaught in Paris as he has not made it into the top 10 in the world this year.

He said there could be a surprise element given that Lyles has dominated the event, winning no less than five world titles over the distance.

Dube believes the 200m will be more exciting because of the seeming surprise element that has even seen several African athletes rate high in the 200m lists so far.

He says the 100m is still anyone’s event this season.

“The 100m is still pretty much anyone’s event, but the 200m will be much more exciting,” said Dube.

He says leading athlete Kenney Bednarek has done a personal best of 19,67 seconds, bettering 19,93 seconds posted by Makarawu and Charamba’s 19,95.

He tipped Letsile Tebogo of Botswana and Makarawu to make the top five if their fitness levels and focus are managed well. “They are adding to the strongest 200m African representation ever to grace the Olympics with five from the continent in the top 10 of which Southern Africa has three,” said Dube.

Dube, who specialised in the long and middle distance in his coach education in Kenya, believes marathon runner Isaac Mpofu has what it takes to make the top five or even better this year.

Mpofu finished third in March in the African Games and sixth in the Boston Marathon last month against world-class fields in both events.