Online Reporter
TAPIWANASHE Makarawu produced a jaw dropping performance to win the men’s 200m title at the 2025 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Friday night, upstaging a star studded field that included fellow Zimbabwean Olympian Makanakaishe Charamba.
In a race brimming with Olympic level talent, Makarawu blasted out of lane nine and never looked back, running a blistering bend and holding his form through the homestretch to stop the clock at 19,84 seconds.
Charamba, coming hard in the final 50 metres, finished a close second in 19,92, completing a Zimbabwean one-two at Hayward Field.
“It wasn’t easy to come back from an injury. It wasn’t easy to compete with these guys,” Makarawu told broadcasters.
“I’m not going to lie. Those guys were running fast. It was scary.”
The pair, both finalists at the 2024 Paris Olympics, brought global pedigree to the NCAA final, and delivered a race to remember. Makarawu’s victory, coming from the least favoured outside lane, capped a day of shocks and standout performances in Eugene.
In one of the most dramatic upsets of the meet, Jamaica’s Ralford Mullings stunned men’s discus world record holder Mykolas Alekna with a monster sixth round throw of 69,31m, overturning a five-round lead held by the Lithuanian, whose best was 66,77m.
Olympian James Corrigan added an NCAA title to his growing résumé in the men’s 3 000m steeplechase, storming past Kenya’s Geoffrey Kirwa to win in 8:16.41.
There was no shortage of speed and emotion on the track.
In the men’s 110m hurdles, Ja’Kobe Tharp ran an electrifying 14,05 to capture the title, cheered on by his mother who had a front row view of the finish line.
In the 400m hurdles, Nigeria’s Ezekiel Nathaniel powered away from the field to win his maiden NCAA crown in 47,49.
Middle-distance runners Sam Whitmarsh and Nathan Green delivered with lethal closing speed to win the 800m and 1500m finals, respectively, while Jordan Anthony (100m) and Samuel Ogazi (400m) blazed to victory in the short sprints.
In the field events, Arvesta Troupe took the high jump with a clearance of 2.27m, and Brandon Green Jr claimed the triple jump title with 16,81m. But the spotlight belonged to Zimbabwe’s golden duo.
Makarawu’s comeback story and Charamba’s relentless chase lit up Hayward Field, reminding fans of the nation’s rising sprint power on the global stage.
Source: Olympics.com.
