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Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE Sprint legend Artwell Mandaza was earlier yesterdat laid to rest at his rural home in Nzvimbo, Chiweshe, in what can best be described as a pauper’s burial.
It was a sad ending to a man whose legacy is embedded in almost every athlete he touched- whether long or short distant- as a paltry crowd mostly comprising of neighbours and nearby villagers gathered to pay their last respects.
Missing were members of government, the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee and the Sports and Recreation Commission whose few members in attendance came in their own capacity.
However, neither the paltry crowd or those that chose to abscond the burial could prevent the villagers, present and former athletes and members of the National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe from singing Mandaza’s praises most of whom paid tribute to the man’s contributions to their careers as athletes or administrators.
Among those were three-time Two Oceans winner Marko Mambo.
“I owe a lot of the man I am today to Mr Mandaza; for he has been with me from the very beginning, when I started running in 1990,” said Mambo.
‘I was a middle distance runner, mostly concentrating in the 800 and 1500-metres races, and I remember one meet he came to see me in Mhangura and he said to me that he saw a lot of potential in me.
“He gave me a few tips on how I can improve my endurance and speed, and that is how we became friends.
“Through every significant milestone or race, I would go to him for advice and listened attentively as results showed every time.
“It’s heartbreaking that he is no more.
“I have been here from the beginning, as I rushed over as soon as I heard the news of his passing, and wanted to pay my last respects to this great man” he said.
This was a reoccurring theme as speaker after speaker spoke of how Mandaza touched their lives- always ready to share his knowledge and experience, whether it be an up and coming runner or administrator.
Mandaza died early Monday morning, at the age of 73.
Mandaza shot to fame in the 1970s winning several accolades as the first black to attain several feats at a time the white minority held monopoly over the sport. Mandaza is regarded as one of Zimbabwe’s greatest athletes and will be remembered more for his 1970 record time of 9,90 seconds in the 100m dash.
He also held national records in 100m (10,3secs), 200m (20,8secs) 400m (46,8secs) and 400m hurdles (52,18secs) from 1969 to 1976.
On the world map, he was ranked among the world’s top 100 on six occasions.
Mandaza was later chosen as the nation’s Sportsman of the Year for 1970 and was also presented with the John Hopley Memorial Trophy to make him the first African to be honoured as the country’s supreme sportsman.-The Sunday Mail.
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