Online Reporter
Ellina Mhlanga-Zimpapers Sports Hub
NATIONAL Athletics Association of Zimbabwe president Tendayi Tagara feels they are making notable progress with two of their athletes part of the inaugural Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Hungary.
The World Athletics Ultimate Championship is the first of its kind featuring the best of the best in Budapest for three nights of competition.
The competition got underway yesterday evening and runs until tomorrow.
It brings together the world’s top-ranked athletes including Olympic champions from 2024, last year’s world champions in Tokyo, and this year’s Diamond League winners – who earned automatic berths.
They are joined by those who have qualified via their world ranking and a small number of exceptional invitations.
For Zimbabwe, all eyes will be on Makanakaishe Charamba and Ashley Miller when they take to the track at the inaugural meet in the men’s 200m and women’s 400m hurdles respectively.
Speaking to Zimpapers Sports Hub, Tagara expressed his excitement to have some of their athletes at the championship.
“I am so excited. Out of 214 countries we are one of the few countries being represented here. We are setting the standard, and joining the big brothers of Africa Athletics like Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria,” Tagara said.
First in action is Miller in the women’s 400m hurdles this evening, taking off with the semi-final heats.
The final is scheduled for tomorrow.
For Charamba, the men’s 200m is tomorrow evening, also starting with the semi-final heats before the final a few hours later.
Miller ranked 14th on the World Rankings, is up against a strong field in heat one of the two semi-final heats, competing with the likes of Slovak Republic’s Emma Zapletalova, Rushell Clayton of Jamaica and Gianna Woodruff from Panama.
Zapletalova is the world’s top ranked athlete in the women’s 400m hurdles.
Clayton is ranked fourth while Woodruff is fifth.
However, Miller has had some interesting results this year including her national record time of 54.08 seconds posted in June at the USATF Lone Star Grand Prix in Texas.
And will be out to build on that.
Charamba will be in action tomorrow, starting off with the semi-final in the men’s 200m. The final will be held later that evening.
Fresh from the Diamond League Final where he produced a podium performance, placing third behind United States’ Kenneth Bednarek and South Africa’s Sinesipho Dambile, Charamba will be hoping to go all the way to the final.
Interestingly, Charamba and Dambile meet again tomorrow, as they line up in heat two of the two heats in the semi-final.
They will be running side by side with Charamba in lane six and Dambile in lane 7.
The heat also includes Canada’s Andre De Grasse and Jamaica’s Bryan Levell.
Diamond League winner Bednarek faces the likes for Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo and Alexander Ogando from the Dominican Republic in heat one.
Fourteen of the 16 participants in the men’s 200m have sub-20 second bests and it is likely to be a close contest with the top four from each heat advancing to the final.
Tagara is hoping that both athletes — Miller and Charamba make it to the final in their respective events.
