Chronicle Editor
Lovemore Dube
ZIMBABWE athletes vying to be part of the Paris Olympics athletics contingent will with effect from July 1 this year battle to win a place in the team.
The qualifying window for track and field events at the world’s sporting extravaganza will afford athletes to up their game so that they are counted.
According to the Paris Olympics website marathon runners’ times from November 1, 2022 will be considered and already one Zimbabwean, Isaac Mpofu has secured his place.
He did so after bettering his national mark in the 42km event last year when on December 4 he ran the event in 2 hours 06 minutes 48 seconds in Spain.
This time was an improvement from his 2 hours 07 minutes 56 run in the United States of America on July 7 last year.
Mpofu is training abroad and it is hoped that he will gain from exposure to better standards, sparring partners and a better scientific approach to running from expert training.
Tapiwa Makarawu is emerging as the country’s best hope for the track as he sits on number 20 on the International Association of Athletics Federations top lists. His best time over the distance achieved on April 29 in Texas, United States of America is 20,10 seconds.
The world’s best mark is 19,67 seconds set by Noah Lyles of the US.
Takudzwa Chiyangwa another athlete on a scholarship abroad is 34th with 20,20 seconds run on April 29 with Makanakaishe Charamba 152nd with a time of 20,65 seconds.
A distant 171st is Simbarashe Maketa with 20,69 seconds.
Maketa finds himself with the 44th best time in the 400m event in which Zambian Muzala Samukonga ran a blistering 43,91 seconds in Botswana last April.
In the 100m dash Makarawu has posted the best time by a Zimbabwean and finds himself ranked 41st in the world with a time of 10,15 seconds with Ngoni Makusha having run 10,29 seconds for position 263 in the world just 0,01 seconds slower than Dickson Kamurengemu.
Tinotenda Matiyenga has run a 10,31 seconds best and Tinashe Chigudu 10,35 seconds for positions 306 and 383 in the world so far.
The qualifying standard for the 100m is 10,00 seconds, 200m — 20,16, 400m — 45,00 seconds and the marathon 2 hours 08 minutes and 10 seconds.
National high jump record holder Kuda Chadenga who equalled Juma Phiri’s 2,16m and later bettered it to 2,20m on April Fools Day this year at 2,20m, will have to up his efforts and try to reach the qualifying height of 2,33m.
In the women’s marathon Rutendo Nyahora has the best time by a Zimbabwean of 2 hours 36 minutes 07 seconds. It is 10 minutes outside the qualifying standard.
Athletes have up to June 20, 2024 to qualify for the other track and field events while for the marathon its April 30 to allow the athletes to recuperate.
The Olympics will run from July 26 to 11 August next year.
Online Reporter