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Tinashe Kusema
Deputy Sports Editor
IT looks like every time 14-year-old Tichatonga Makaya gets into the water, a new superlative is coined to describe this teenage sensation, who many believe could one day become the face of Zimbabwe swimming.
Some of the superlatives doing the rounds include “wonderkid”, “record-breaker”, “swimming sensation” and “swimming prodigy” — all of which seem appropriate, except maybe for the latter description, which is cancelled out by the fact that Makaya has only been swimming for nearly four years.
His mother, Mollen Tanganyika, who prides herself at being her son’s biggest fan, still finds it difficult to believe his meteoric rise.
“He started swimming competitively at the age of 10,” said Tanganyika.
“His sights were solely fixed on making the team at Centenary Primary School so he could be with his friends.
“We didn’t even know about him joining the swimming team, and as far as we knew, he couldn’t even dive,” she said.
Four years later, Makaya has not only proven his diving skills, but slowly and surely he is building a name for himself locally.
Makaya has quite a haul of swimming records to his name, including the 50 metre freestyle (28:13 seconds), 100m freestyle (01:01:56s), 50m butterfly (29:15s), 200m butterfly (02:47:78s) and a host of decade-old local short course records.
He had similar accomplishments in 2019, where he broke records in the 50m backstroke, 100m and 200m butterfly for the Under-13 to Under-14 category.
His impressive collection of records, including the record time it took to achieve them, have left his mother a proud woman, who is overawed by the possibilities of where swimming could take her son.
The level-headed Makaya is content just to be able to swim, all the while trying to emulate his swimming idol — Caeleb Dressel of the United States.
Like Makaya, Dressel is another star on the rise, with many tipping the 24-year-old sprint specialist — who already has two Olympic gold medals and a cabinet full of medals and records — to be the next best thing after Olympic icon Michael Phelps.
“Dressel is my swimming idol and I am a huge fan of his swimming style.
“He is an outstanding swimmer and I would like to be like him in terms of his technique and achievements.”
However, he is under no illusion about the sheer amount of work he needs to put in to become like his idol.
“For now, the plan is simple.
“Firstly, I hope I can continue to grow as a swimmer, get a good education (preferably a swimming scholarship to study in the US) and then maybe turn professional.
“Turning professional is certainly in my plans, and something I want to work on, but it’s not as easy as it seems.
“It needs a lot of hard work, both in the water and in the background, and I just pray that God continues to guide me in my journey.
“Not everyone is able to turn pro as I have to put in all the hard work,” he said.
Born on March 16, 2006, Makaya began his swimming career at Centenary Primary School at the behest of a friend.
He would move to Midlands Christian College, having just broken his first record in the summer of 2018 (50m butterfly). It was a Matabelaland record that still holds today.
“The 2018 record is the record I am most proud of as it came when he was just 12 years old, and a year into his club career,” said Tanganyika.
His rich vein of form has been disturbed by the Covid-19 pandemic, but it has taught him valuable lessons too.
Online Reporter