Chronicle Editor
Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE’S top sprinter Ngoni Makusha who failed to set a new personal best in the 100m at the Olympics, has set his sights on the 2024 Paris Games.
Makusha had a day of mixed emotions in his 100m sprints at the Tokyo Olympic Stadium on Saturday, winning his heat in a time of 10.32 seconds and then falling short in the next race when he finished seventh in 10.43 seconds in a race that was won by South African Akani Simbine in 10.08 seconds.
For Makusha, who was aiming at bettering his personal best of 10.26 seconds, failing to progress to the semi-finals wasn’t a heartbreak.
“The race was okay, it was a good and wonderful experience. Of course, I wanted to do better but it didn’t come the way I wanted. I came here with my target being to improve on my personal best but that wasn’t the case,” said Makusha.
“Hard as it is that I failed to achieve my target, I have to move on, rest a bit, then together with my team we’re going to plan for the future. I want to be there at the World Championships and my preparations for the 2024 Paris Olympics start now,” he said..
The sprinter has also been using his stay in Tokyo to create contacts and new friends with the aim of embarking on exchange programmes as he works on his 2024 Olympics dream.
The Zimbabwe relay team failed to qualify for the Olympics after being grounded by Covid-19, but Makusha challenged Zimbabwean athletes not to give up.
“Being at the Olympics is an experience I’ll treasure for the rest of my life. It has motivated me to return home and work harder. I believe the athletes who didn’t qualify must not lose hope, we need to keep on pushing. Patience is key and believing in yourself will help you achieve your goals,” Makusha said. — @ZililoR
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