adminTinashe Kusema
ZIMBABWEAN athlete track and field star Chengetayi Mapaya had a moment to savour when his 17.13metre jump propelled him to stardom in the United States last week.
Mayapa’s name appeared on the monitor during last weekend’s National Collegiate Athletic Association Championships.
A video of an ecstatic Mapaya collapsing to the ground and immediately jumping up to run around flapping his arms like a bird went viral.
The video, aptly captioned “National Champion”, had more than 170 retweets, 968 likes and over 21 000 views on the Texas Christian University’s Twitter account by the time of going to print.
“Once my jump appeared on the monitor, I did not know how to react and falling to the ground seemed to be the most logical move.
“I was happy to have not only broken the 17m mark, but also to have won my event and crowned champion,” said the 20-year-old Triple jump champion.
While falling to the ground was probably a combination of exhaustion and joy, the arms flapping was not.
“You see, triple jump is not just something I am good at, it is a means to an end,” said the TCU sophomore.
“The dream is to one day own an airline company, and for now I just want to first establish the brand.
“It (the company) already has a name, Du Airlines after my nickname, and the flapping of the wings was a nod to that dream as it signified flying in the sky.
“It wasn’t planned, it just came naturally. l will now make that my signature celebration,” he said.
While Du Airlines is still a distant dream, Mapaya ‘s hands are full at the moment.
His performance at the NCAA Championships saw him being named national collegiate champion and successful season Horned Frog’s triple jumper, during which he had the indoor (16.83m) and outdoor (16.64m) triple jump records.
It was also the 12th best jump of the year, with the St George’s College alumnus booking a place at the International Association of Athletics Federations World Track and Field Championships set for Qatar in September.
“I am extremely proud of my achievements this season. However, it hasn’t been all glory. There have been a lot of ups and down, and I remember fearing, at one time, that I wouldn’t even qualify for the nationals.
“There was a competition I jumped 15.20m, and that was the lowest point of my career. I finished 15th. “My coach was there to help me through tough days, and we increased my workload on the track and put in a lot more effort and a lot more hours in the gym. “The results speak for themselves,” Mapaya said
Online Reporter