Online Reporter
ZIMBABWEAN sprinter Makanakaishe Charamba finished third in the men’s 200 metres at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, United States on Saturday.
Competing in lane nine and running into a (0.9 m/s) headwind, Charamba clocked 20.11 seconds to secure a podium finish in a world-class field.
American Tate Taylor won the race in 19.75 seconds, while Botswana’s Olympic champion, Letsile Tebogo, finished second in 19.93 seconds.
The result marks another impressive performance by the Zimbabwean sprinter as he continues his Diamond League campaign against some of the world’s leading athletes.
The race at Hayward Field delivered a thrilling spectacle, confirming Charamba’s consistency among the world’s elite sprinters this season.
The Zimbabwean sprinter did well to finish third in a race which was won by promising American athlete Taylor.
The 18-year-old (Taylor) sent shockwaves through the athletics world, storming to victory ahead of Olympic champion Tebogo on Saturday.
The teenage sprint sensation (Taylor) authored a shocking upset at the 2026 Prefontaine Classic, beating Botswana’s Tebogo to win the men’s 200m in a time of 19.75 seconds.
Roared to the finish line by the track and field faithful in Eugene, he held off the hard-charging Paris 2024 Olympic champion in the closing metres, finishing 0.02 seconds off the world lead held by the Cayman Islands’ Jaiden Reid at 19.63.
Tebogo crossed the finish line second, clocking 19.93, with Zimbabwean Olympian Charamba rounding out the top three at Hayward Field in 20.11.
“It feels (and) it sounds incredible,” the teenage sprinter told reporters after the race. “I really can’t believe it. All the Glory to God. I don’t even know what to say.”
Fourth through the 50m mark, Taylor built nicely in the middle part of the race, striding into second, before passing early leader Bryan Levell of Jamaica with less than 60m to go.
Levell looked to be in control of the race out the blocks, but faded to fifth in 20.20. Tebogo tried to chase the US rising star down, but couldn’t find the speed to do so in the end.
“I wasn’t expecting to win this race. I knew it was going to be close. I told my dad, I told my coach, ‘if they’re gonna beat me, they’re gonna have to throw something crazy down to beat me,’ but I definitely wasn’t expecting to win this little plaque right here,” added Taylor.
Tebogo took the loss graciously, congratulating the young sprinter and choosing to see the race as a learning opportunity. “I feel like there’s more I could have done right, but nonetheless, congratulations to Tate. He’s coming up alright and should continue pushing,” said the Motswana superstar.
“We’re looking forward to the next one and try and correct a few things.”
The full race results for the top men’s 200m
Tate Taylor (USA) — (19.75s)
Letsile Tebogo (BOT) — (19.93s)
Makanakaishe Charamba (ZIM) — (20.11s).
Courtney Lindsey (USA) — (20.19s)
Levell (JAM) — (20.20s)
Zharnel Hughes (GBR) — (20.26s)
Sam Blaskowski (USA) — (20.32s)
Jose Figueroa (PUR) — (20.34s)
Adrian Kerr (JAM) — (20.78s) — Agencies/Zimpapers Sports Hub.
