Lovemore Dube [email protected]
NJERE Shumba, the man who introduced Junior Olympics 200m gold medallist Ropafadzo Mzondo to competitive athletics, believes the rising sprinter could be part of Zimbabwe’s contingent at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
Mzondo stormed to a personal best of 21.02 seconds to claim gold at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Senegal, securing Zimbabwe’s first gold medal at that level. Initially not part of the team, the youngster repaid the selectors’ perseverance and confidence with a stunning performance against a strong international field on Wednesday.
His triumph was no fluke, but another indication of Zimbabwe’s growing reputation as a sprinting nation, following the emergence of athletes such as Tapiwanashe Makarawu, Makanakaishe Charamba, Denzil Simusialela, Methembe Tshuma, Thandazani Ndhlovu, Leeford Zuze, Dennis Hove and Gerren Muwishi, who have made their mark on the international stage over the past three years.
Among Zimbabwe’s most promising sprinters around Independence in 1980, Shumba is based in Kwekwe, where he has remained steadfast in his belief that the collapse of Zisco Steel did not have to signal the end of athletics in the Midlands city.
He was one of the steelmaker’s leading runners when the company was among the country’s major employers, but its subsequent decline has done little to dampen his enthusiasm for developing young talent. Mzondo is the latest product of his commitment to nurturing the next generation of athletes.
In an interview yesterday, Shumba said he was delighted by his protégé’s success.
“I am delighted by his success and he is showing tremendous character,” said Shumba, whose young charge has dominated the National Association of Secondary School Heads (NASH) Track and Field Championships over the past two years.
While athletes often attract the limelight when they deliver outstanding performances at international competitions, the coaches who lay the foundations for their success can easily be overlooked.
Shumba, however, has been receiving congratulatory messages from fellow athletics enthusiasts following Mzondo’s breakthrough performance.
“We started four years ago when he was in Form One. We went to Lomagundi and he came seventh with a time of 57 seconds, but he showed great potential.
“At the end of that year, there was a boy called Victor Nyagumbo who wanted to be trained for the following year. In the process, I asked the sports director at Goldridge College to link up with the father to establish whether he was interested in having the boy trained, and he agreed.
“The second year, when we went back to Lomagundi, he won the 400m, came second in the 200m and 100m. We then started taking part in National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe competitions, and his times continued to improve,” said Shumba.
As Mzondo continued to demonstrate his ability and potential, the coach and athlete turned their attention to securing qualification for the World Athletics U20 Championships in 2025. Mzondo eventually qualified in February this year.
With the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing, China, and the 2028 Los Angeles
Olympics among the major targets for Zimbabwean athletics, Shumba believes the youngster has the potential to feature prominently in the country’s future international campaigns.
Mzondo could become an important addition to the pool of home-based athletes seeking qualification in both the 4x100m and 4x400m relay events.
Already, Zimbabwe’s 4x400m quartet of Muwishi, Ndhlovu, Zuze and Hove has qualified for the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing.
With athletes based in the United States facing travel-related challenges, the development of competitive home-based talent has become increasingly important in sustaining Zimbabwe’s presence on the international athletics stage. Mzondo is among the promising prospects expected to contribute to that effort.
“I see him being part of the relays and individual events,” said Shumba, who identified and nurtured the youngster’s talent before he moved to Harare after sitting his Ordinary Level examinations last year.
Mzondo is now training under Aaron Whyte in Harare, who is responsible for the national junior teams.
