Chronicle Editor
Lovemore Dube
WHO is Zimbabwe’s best track and field athlete ever?
Artwell Mandaza is regarded as one of the best sprinters and track athletes to emerge from Zimbabwe.
The first man to run a sub 10 second 100m in the world a feat achieved in 1970. His 9,9 seconds equaled a mark set by Cuban Pablo Montes the same year.
His was said to have been wind assisted at the South African Bantu Championships.
Debate still stands that his superb effort may have fallen foul of the politics of the day that a black athlete could not achieve such a feat in those times of racial discrimination in South Africa and Rhodesia where he ran regularly.
Ngoni Makusha takes the Zimbabwe King of the Track based on his world ranking on the best times ever run over the distance.
Makusha clocked 9,89 seconds Des Moines in the United States of America on 10 June 2011. The time stands as the 42nd best ever over the distance in an era dominated by Jamaican and United States athletes.
Sprinters from Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Canada, Nigeria and South Africa have made their mark too.
It is the sixth best time ran by an African with Ferdinand Omanyala’s 9,77 seconds the best in the 100m sprint often one of the meeting highlights at athletics competitions around the world.
Akani Simbine of South Africa’s 9.84 seconds, which makes him world number 18 twice Omanyala’s standing is second in the continent with Olusuji Fasuba of Nigeria third with a time of 9,85 seconds. He is 21st in the world.
Frankie Fredricks who dominated the 200m at the peak of his career at number 25 globally, fourth in Africa with 9,86 seconds is among the greatest over the distance.
Tied on fourth place in Africa and 25th in the world with Namibian Fredricks is Nigerian Divine Oduduru.
Then comes the big Zimbabwean sprinter at 42nd in the world and sixth with a time of 9,89 seconds making him the best placed Zimbabwean of any event on the track recognised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).
Makusha finds himself 64th in the best ever long jump efforts with a leap of 8,40m that asserts him as also a national record holder in this event.
World Athletics Championships bound Tapiwanashe Makarawu sits at 153 in the world in the 200m with a time of 20,10 seconds achieved in Texas in the US on April 29 this year.
Former national record holder who saw his time crashed by Makarawu is 169th with a time of 20,12 seconds.
Ken Harnden whose 29 July, 1998 400m hurdles time of 48,05 seconds is the national record is on position 64 of the best ever efforts on the distance in the world.
On 9 August, 1998 the Zimbabwe 4x400m relay team which had the likes of Tawanda Chiwira and Harnden ran the 70th fastest time of 3 minutes 00,79 seconds.
Ndabezinhle Mdlongwa’s 17,34m in triple jump is 127th in the world while Chenge Mapaya lies 169th with a hop, skip and jump effort of 17,26 seconds.
With his two top 100 marks, Makusha is undoubtedly the country’s Track and Field King deserving of a Hall of Fame at the National Sports Stadium in Harare.
Online Reporter