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Ellina Mhlanga Senior Sports Reporter
IT is every athlete’s dream to compete at the Olympic Games and for the pair of Isaac Mpofu and Stephen Cox, realising it has been fulfilling.
The Games are scheduled for July 26 to August 11 in Paris, France.
Mpofu and Cox are the only two Zimbabwean athletes that have so far qualified for the Games.
Mpofu qualified for the men’s marathon and rower Cox secured his spot in the Men’s Single Scull (M1x). Addressing the media at a press conference held at the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee headquarters in Harare, both athletes expressed excitement for their qualification.
Cox joined the briefing via Zoom as he is currently training in Australia as part of his preparations for the Games.
He said qualifying for the Games came as a relief since it was not his first time to try and qualify for a global show-piece.
“So for me, it was a big sense of pride, national pride, and also a relief because this wasn’t the first time I have tried to qualify. And there has been a lot of work and a lot of sacrifice both from my wife and myself to get this thing over the line and make it work.
“So I was delighted, there were lots of tears and emotions going around when we finished and got the qualification in the bag,” said Cox.
Cox is training at the Sydney Rowing Club after being offered membership for training with the support of ZOC.
He is set to compete in a couple of competitions ahead of the Games.
“So with my training, I feel like the more I compete the better I get . . . you gain more experience each time you race. I race multiple World Cups and World Championships, and these are the same guys I will be racing at the Olympics. So along the way, I get a good ranking and a good measure of how I compare to them.
“So the first one will be the second World Cup, which is middle of May and that will be the first comparison I will get and then we can test and adjust and see, the third World Cup and then there is a good six-week break until the Olympics after that. So I think I will be very competitive in Paris,” said Cox.
Mpofu said he is happy and grateful for finally making earning his place at the Olympics. He is now in camp in Harare and will be working with coach Benson Chauke until he leaves for the Games.
Having achieved some of his best times while training locally, Mpofu said he is hopeful of the camp in Harare.
“It’s all about my mentality. Some believe that I can do it when I go to Kenya because there are the best runners there and in Ethiopia. “But for me, if you look at my results they all came whilst I was here in Zimbabwe. So I feel like I can do it whilst I am here in Zimbabwe.”
Chauke said with the support they are getting, they are hopeful.
“We have the terrain, we have the facilities, the environment, and our dirt roads out there I think those have given us fairly good results.
“And with this kind of support that Isaac is getting particularly this time around, we are hopeful that if everything works together for the good, we will get the desired results,” said Chauke. Both Cox and Mpofu said self-belief is key to achieving their goals.
ZOC chair of the Technical and Development Commission Rick Fulton said there is still time and opportunities for athletes to qualify. “We still do have some opportunities for athletes, particularly in athletics and swimming. We still have the possibility of some other codes that are still in the framework and have the possibility of making it to the Games either through the qualification process or the universality process as well, which is also an option to get athletes there.
“The best route is through the normal qualification channels, which are incredibly tough for every sport,” said Fulton.
ZOC chief executive officer Marlene Gadzirayi and Chef de Mission Ringisai Mapondera also attended the press conference. After fielding five athletes at the previous Games Zimbabwe is hoping to improve the numbers for the forthcoming Games.
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