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Ellina Mhlanga Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWEAN athlete Vimbayi Maisvorewa seems to be settling in the United States after setting a new women’s national 400m indoor record over the weekend.
Maisvorewa (22) ran a time of 54.65 seconds to finish first at the National Junior College Athlete Association Region VI Championships at Pittsburg in Kansas, United States, on Sunday.
The performance saw her setting a new national record for the women’s 400m indoor.
The previous record was 54.91 seconds set by Larissa Bakasa in 2004 during her time at Texas Christian University (TCU) in the United States.
It was an exceptional performance from the Zimbabwean athlete who joined Cloud County Community College in Kansas on a scholarship in January this year.
She also broke the college’s record.
In 2017, Maisvorewa, who is from Rusape, represented Zimbabwe at the World Under-18 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya, and she came sixth in the 800m final.
It was her first time competing at that level and it was a huge achievement for her.
National juniors and youth coach, Briad Nhubu, who worked with the athlete from High School and was the head coach for the youth team at the World Under-18 meet in 2017, said it is something positive for the athlete and country.
“I was with her in several international meets and she has always proved to be a great fighter through her spirited efforts. She has remained resolute and focused. Her mental toughness has seen her being able to manoeuvre through thick and thin.
“Personally, I am extremely excited about Vimbayi’s performance because she has proved that we are capable of producing world-class athletes. She has broken the wrong perception from some people who thought the current system is no longer able to break records.
“She is our direct product and we feel perplexed to have produced such an asset.
“As a coach who worked with Vimbayi from the critical youthful and junior development stages, I am highly honoured to have developed an athlete from grassroots, and as a head coach for youth and juniors, I feel our Long Term Athlete Development Performance Strategy is beginning to bear fruits,” said Nhubu.
Nhubu identified Maisvorewa when she was still at Dope High School in Rusape during the district competitions. She later moved to Hillcrest College after she was awarded a scholarship.
She represented the country in regional competitions such as the Confederation of Schools Sport Association of Southern Africa (Cossasa) Games and continued to make strides until she qualified for the World Under-18 Championships in 2017.
National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe president, Tendai Tagara, said they hope Maisvorewa continues to improve and translate the performance to outdoor competitions.
“The performance is very encouraging from Maisvorewa. She has been gradually improving since her junior level. That period at junior level has helped her to build confidence at senior level.
“I think she can go all the way to run a qualifying time for future World Championships. We don’t want to put her under pressure for the next World Championships. But for the 2023 World Championships, she can run a qualifying time.
“The future is good for her. We just hope that she will be able to translate that from indoor to outdoor,” said Tagara.
Maisvorewa’s remarkable performance on Sunday helped the Cloud County Community College to emerge as the overall winners at the Region VI Championships.
Currently Maisvorewa ranks first in the NJCAA Division. She will be the favourite to emerge victorious at the 2022 NJCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships which are set to take place March 4 and 5 at the Plaster Centre in Pittsburg, Kansas.
Online Reporter