Online Reporter
Ellina Mhlanga
Zimpapers Sports Hub
The sprint sensation was one of two Zimbabwean athletes to automatically qualify for the men’s 200m, securing their places at the Games.
The other athlete was Tapiwanashe Makarawu. What was to follow at the Games was not something many people would have imagined as both athletes made it to the final, with Makanakaishe Charamba finishing eighth and Makarawu sixth.
Zimbabwe may not have picked up a medal, but just being in the mix, in the final, was a proud moment for the nation.
Both athletes, based in the United States, were making their debut appearances at the multi-sport showcase.
And they etched their names in the annals of the country’s sporting history.
Their performance reignited hope and belief in the future.
The last person to have achieved such a feat at the Olympics was Brian Dzingai at the Beijing 2008 Games.
Two years after the Paris Games, Charamba reveals he was shocked to see himself in the final.
“To be honest, I would say Paris 2024, making the finals was not on our bingo card. It was not part of the plan,” said Charamba, who is coached by Kenneth Harnden, a former Zimbabwean athlete.
“But then when we got to the semi-finals, coach Ken just told me, go out there and have fun, whatever happens, happens.
“So, when we made the final, I was shocked, but he knew I had it in me. But it was just a matter of time for me to put it down there.
“And when we put it down there, that’s when my mind just opened, and I was like, the opportunities for me are limitless.
“It made him believe.
“For me, I would say it was because making that final, it opened up my brain to say, I should not limit myself, because I kind of had limits going into Paris, which were, I am a college kid, I just got here, I don’t know what I can do, and I don’t know what I am to do.
“But then, it was just the confidence in me that said, when I stepped on the line, and coach told me that I can do it, I could do it.
“The 24-year-old has been hogging the limelight with his exploits on the track.
He went on to reach the semi-finals at last year’s World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, also competing at that stage for the first time.
A month before the World Championships, Charamba had appeared in the Diamond League, competing in two meets of the series.
He returned to the series this year and earned enough points to qualify for the final held in Brussels, Belgium.
He walked away with a bronze medal and a qualifying time for next year’s World Championships.
He then wrapped up his season with the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship.
The meet saw the best of the best including Olympic champions from 2024, last year’s world champions in Tokyo, and this year’s Diamond League winners converging in Budapest, Hungary after earning automatic berths as well as those who qualified via their world ranking and a small number of exceptional invitations.
Charamba placed fifth in the semi-final, narrowly missing a spot in the final.
Only the top four athletes from each of the two semi-final heats advanced to the final. For Charamba, this is just a building block as he chases more.
“So, I believe 2025 [at the World Championships], I made the semi and I missed out on the final by one spot, I was the first one out.
“And I’d say all this, is all motivation, because it also happened this year, when we had the World Ultimate Championships. I missed the final by one spot.
“And I was devastated, but at the end of the day, I am like, it’s a building block towards what’s to come for next year.
“And I wanted to beat myself up, but I feel like I am a rookie, and it’s part of the plan. I have had a great year, I have averaged the same time I averaged last year, and I ran faster than 2024. So, I’d say it’s a building block,” Charamba said.
He credits his progress to his coach Harnden, a two-time Olympian, and his wife.”Yeah, I would say for me personally, I wouldn’t be the person I am today without him because in as much as he coaches me on the track, he also coaches me off the track.
“And all the lessons he’s taught me, him and his wife, Ms Porscha Harnden, they have actually been a blessing because it makes me feel like I can do it, you know, because looking at him, he’s actually one of the people I look up to.
“So, I always want to be like him, and he always makes me strive to be the best that I can always be. That’s a story for another day, but yeah, he’s been a blessing.”
Charamba has already made the grade for the next edition of the World Championships and his target is a podium finish. He will be hoping to earn his berth at the LA28 Games when the qualification window opens.
