Online Reporter
Ellina Mhlanga
Zimpapers Sports Hub
FOR Isaac Mpofu consistency and discipline remain at the heart of the positive strides he has made since his debut at the World Athletics Championships in Qatar in 2019.
The marathon runner is one of the eight athletes representing Zimbabwe at the World Championships which start in Tokyo, Japan today.
It is Mpofu’s fourth appearance at the biennial meet.
In Doha, Qatar, he completed the race in 2 hours 29 minutes 24 seconds and finished in 52nd.
He returned to the championships in 2022, in Oregon, United States, and he came off 10th when posting a time of 2 hour 7 minutes 56 seconds, setting a national record in the process that he later on broke in the same year.
A year later, Mpofu was in Budapest, Hungary for the World Championships and posted a time of 2 hour 11 minutes 33 seconds, to make the top 20.
“Mostly it’s all about being consistent in training, doing the right things at the right time.
“If you do it professionally, I think you can manage to drop those times.
“And from 2019 to this time, I have been assisted by certain, different sponsors coming around assisting me so that I can manage to maintain a good diet, I can manage to have transport from one place to another as we train in different terrains.
“Those sponsors have been a key to my career, mostly I say I have got Netbank, also NAAZ and ZOC,” Mpofu said.
His personal best is 2 hours 6 minutes 48 seconds posted in December, 2022 at the Valencia Marathon in Spain. It is the current national record.
The performance earned him a spot at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Mpofu is up for the men’s marathon on Monday morning, together with Tendai Zimuto and his goal is to secure a good time.
“Mostly we focus on time. We are focused on time, so we will see if we run under 2:10, I think we can actually get a good position there.”
Coach Benson Chauke paid tribute to Mpofu for making personal sacrifices in his career.
Chauke said as much as the National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Olympic Committee and various sponsors had assisted him, Mpofu “made some individual sacrifices to push himself’’.
“Developing an athlete is a process, it requires the right people, and also the right athletes with the right attitude and with the support, I think we can achieve better.
“But in the case of Isaac, in as much as he got support from us, from ZOC, him personally, he made the greatest sacrifice.
“If you were to sit and listen to his story, you would be amazed how much he put in from 2019 to get to 2022, when I then came into contact with him to start working with him to where we are.
“His sacrifices, the discipline, there are times the family went without all the goodies that other families would.
“They wouldn’t eat what every other kid would want to eat because the resources were just set aside to try and buy the right equipment, go to the proper competitions and get the right nutrition that he required and also give him the space,” Chauke said.
First in competition is Fortunate Chidzivo tomorrow in the women’s marathon.
Vimbayi Maisvorewa will also be competing in women’s 400m heats.
Chidzivo was part of the team in 2023 and will be banking on her experience.
“As I head to Tokyo, the preparation went so well. It’s unfortunate, I fell on Sunday and injured my knee. But it’s just a mild injury.
“It’s like you have something to look back at and something to try and implement during the race, which I also tried in my training, because I know how the girls go out and everything, what actually happens during the race.
“And we are looking forward to executing the race so well with the experience. I don’t have any target, I am just going to enjoy the race,” said Chidzivo.
Team Zimbabwe includes United States-based sprinters Tapiwanashe Makarawu and Makanakaishe Charamba to compete in 200m, Maisvorewa (400m), Ashley Miller Kamangirira (400m hurdles) and triple jumper Chengetayi Mapaya.
