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Ellina Mhlanga
Senior Sports Reporter
AS the countdown to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games continues, athletics coach Benson Chauke is satisfied with the work they have invested in to prepare long-distance runner Isaac Mpofu for his debut appearance at the multi-sport event.
The 35-year-old sealed his place at the quadrennial Games two years back and has been working on his preparations ahead of the marathon event at the Paris show-piece scheduled for July 26 to August 11.
Mpofu stepped up his preparations in January when he got into camp in Harare under the guidance of Chauke.
In his final phase of preparations, he took part in the Tanganda half-marathon on June 30 and was part of the field at the Econet Victoria Falls marathon last Sunday.
He placed third at the Tanganda half-marathon and went on to win the half-marathon at the Econet Victoria Falls event.
Chauke said Sunday’s race was Mpofu’s last ahead of his participation at the Olympics. The veteran coach revealed that the two half marathons were part of the assessment races they were targeting to gauge the work they have put in.
“We did the assessments races in the Tanganda and the Econet Victoria Falls half marathons.
“There were areas we wanted to assess from the training programme that we have been having.
“We looked at the aspects we wanted, and we learnt a few things from it.
“We are now going back to correct one or two things and wrap up our programme.
“The training is done now and there isn’t much we are going to do now.
“We are now just going to do the usual stuff, just the generic stuff.
“That is our long run, we will do our speed work, we will do our endurance work and those kind of things, as we taper into the Games.
“The major work is done. So, I think I can say we have done most of the work. We are now just wrapping up. We just wanted them to get used to competition before going for a major race,” said Chauke.
Among the preparatory races that Mpofu, the reigning National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe Athlete of the Year, took part in was the Boston Marathon, where he placed sixth with a time of 2 hours, 8 minutes, and 17 seconds in April. He also won a bronze medal in the half marathon at the African Games in Accra, Ghana in March.
Mpofu also won the FNB Kazungula Bridge Marathon in February.
In the women’s marathon, Zimbabwe will be represented by South African-based Rutendo Nyahora.
Nyahora will be making her second appearance at the Olympic Games, having represented Zimbabwe at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
She is currently training in South Africa, under the guidance of her coach Lindsy Parry. The athletics competition at the Games is scheduled to run from August 1 to 11, with the men’s marathon set for August 10 while the women’s race is on August 11.
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