dyton mupawaenda
Ellina Mhlanga-Senior Sports Reporter
ATHLETICS coach Benson Chauke is in high spirits as he continues building up for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games with Isaac Mpofu.
This comes after Mpofu won a bronze medal in the men’s half marathon at the African Games in Accra, Ghana.
The event was part of his preparations for the Olympic Games to run from July 26 to August 11.
Mpofuis now focusing on his participation in the Boston Marathon on April 15.
Chauke said the outcome from the African Games shows the duo are on track in their preparations.
“I am very happy for him, very happy for the system, very happy for the plan, that everything is pointing in one direction and I am seeing positive results.
“What we are preparing as a team is a winning a medal on the podium. So getting a medal against the East Africans like we did in Ghana is something out of this world.
“I am happy for Isaac. I am happy for all the people who have been supporting him on social media, his family, and the sponsors.
“I am just happy for him, that this is doable with support, with people standing with you, the sky is the limit,” said Chauke.
Going into the half marathon in Ghana, Chauke said Mpofu was looking at competitiveness against some of the leading distance runners from countries such as Kenya and Ethiopia.
“Our targets were not time specific. They were competitive per se to say if you were going to go to a big race, a full field of East Africans, Ethiopians, Kenyans, Eritreans, Ugandans, these people that have broken records, how do you fare against them?
“So Isaac stood and raised the Zimbabwean flag high among this full field of Kenyans, Ethiopians, Eritreans, Ugandans to come up with a medal, that is what we were aiming for.
“It’s the same people that he is likely going to be running against at the Olympics. It’s usually the Kenyans winning it or the Ethiopians. So if you are there amongst them, given his PB time of 2:06, it can be anybody’s race.
“So I am happy that he was there on the podium to begin with, which shows competitiveness.”
Mpofu, who is camping in Harare, is stepping up his training programme with his next assignment being the Boston Marathon.
“We are building from where he left before he went to Ghana and we are just polishing up now for the full marathon.
“We have done the half marathon and what remains now is a full marathon, which again we are trying to see if we can get the same kind of finishing position as we go.
“Even if we don’t, but we are aiming at now going on a full field marathon. And we want to see where we will be placed and then from there it’s done for the marathon, we wait for Paris.
“But now we are in high spirits. The positives we have seen, which means whatever we were doing before I think it is paying dividends now. So we are happy.”
On his first appearance at the Boston Marathon last year Mpofu crossed the finish line on position 19 in 2hours 14minutes 8seconds. He is looking at improving his time.
“Going for other races before the Olympics, I am preparing for Boston now.
“So I am challenging that 2:14 to try to at least run 2:10 or 2:11. I will be grateful,” said Mpofu.
Kenya’s Evans Chebet won the race last year.
Online Reporter