admin200m when coming first in 20.93 seconds in the Under-23 age-group during the inter-provincial track and field championships at the National Sports Stadium in Harare a couple of weeks ago.
Touted as the next Brian Dzingayi, Songore, who is a Lower Six pupil at Peterhouse School in Marondera, sent tongues wagging at this event when he beat a field that included one of the country’s top sprinters Dumisani Bhebhe and other top Zimbabwean senior athletes.
His winning time of 20.93 seconds “unofficially” became the fastest youth time in the world this year in front of Paul Lukas of the United States who currently holds first position in the 200m with a time of 20.99 seconds.
Son to Peterhouse’s basketball team coach coach Tongai Songore, Michael has grown to know sports from birth.
A couple of weeks ago, however, Michael was “stretched” by his coach Munya Maraire who put him in the senior men’s field at 16 years old at the inter-provincial competition at the National Sports Stadium and he showed no ghost of inferiority complex when he swept away the field in 20.93 seconds.
Michael ran in the Under-23 age-group because his coach Maraire felt that there was no competition for him in the Under-17 age-group in which he was initially supposed to have competed in.
Michael earlier last month won the 200m and 100m events at Southern Region Youth Championships, leading Team Zimbabwe to the gold medal in both events.
Though South Africa was not represented at this event, Michael’s results at the Southern Region Youth Championships would have won him gold in both the 100m and 200m in the South African Junior Championships among athletes two years his senior.
Michael is not the first sprint champion from his academy World Wide Scholarships Academy as the likes of World Championships long jump bronze medallist Ngoni Makusha, Africa Junior Champion Gabriel Mvumvure and Africa Youth Champion and Youth Olympics finalist Tinashe Mutanga are his predecessors.
The promising young sprinter recently told The Herald that his main dream is to win a gold medal for Zimbabwe at the Olympic Games in the future.
“At the moment my short-term ambition is probably to get an athletics scholarship at one of the top universities in the United States and my long-term ambition is to win a gold medal for Zimbabwe at the Olympic Games,” said Michael who is also set to represent Zimbabwe at the Southern Region track and field meet in Botswana this coming weekend and at the World Youth Championships in Donetsk, Ukraine, in July.
His coach Maraire commented about his athlete’s exploits: “It is exciting to coach a young man who is so humble and never satisfied with his performance. It is also an honour to coach the son of one of my former high school coaches Tongai Songore.
“His family is very humble and deserve this breakthrough because of all they have poured into the youth of Zimbabwe. The most important lesson this time around though for Zimbabwe will be one who remembers where he came from gives glory to God and continues to foster development in line with these principles.”
“I have coached many African Junior and Youth Champions and to be honest Michael is among them in terms of his performance and Zimbabwe should expect something special. In the past Zimbabwe has held their breath when someone qualified for World Championships of any sort but this is a new season for Zimbabwe and the season breathes through the expressions of the youth.
“It is high time we break some records! I spent four weeks in Jamaica last year with Usain Bolt’s academy learning from Glen Mills and the athletes there and to be honest with you it is all about hard work and determination which this young man has. All we have to do now is stay healthy and continue to work hard.”
Online Reporter