Chronicle Editor
Munyaradzi Musiiwa in Gweru
ZIMBABWE taekwondo national team athlete Lazarus Maringehosi is oozing with confidence ahead of the Taekwondo Olympic Qualifiers in Morocco.
Maringehosi, who is participating in the 68kg category, will become the first Zimbabwean to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics if he manages to win.
In an interview before his departure, Maringehosi said it has been his dream to be part of the Zimbabwe Olympics team.
“I am travelling to Morocco for my Olympic Qualifiers. I am in good shape and I have been training very hard. I picked up an injury sometime last year, but I have fully recovered now. I have no doubt that I will emerge victorious in the qualifiers and will hopefully be able to fulfill my dream of representing my country in the Olympic Games,” Maringehosi said. He has been on the rise since he took up the martial art in 2016 and has won a lot of accolades. He won his first silverware after scooping gold in the Korean Ambassador Cup in November 2017. He went on to win another gold in the 80kg category at the South African Open tournament.
In 2018, Maringehosi won bronze in the Regional Taekwondo tournament held in Botswana before winning gold in the Zimbabwe Open Championship.
He was selected for the All-Africa Games in 2019 in Morocco, but picked up an injury. His instructor Bhekumuzi Buthelezi, the Midlands Taekwondo Association technical director, expressed confidence that Maringehosi will qualify for the Olympics.
“Maringehosi has always been a highly disciplined, dedicated and determined martial artist. He has inspired his colleagues and I’m confident he will qualify for the Olympics and lift our flag high. I would like to implore all Zimbabweans to rally behind him,” Buthelezi said.
Online Reporter