Sprint queen Pfakacha in hunt for an athletics club to join

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter

ZVISHAVANE sprint queen Rumbidzai Pfakacha is hunting for an athletics club to join in Bulawayo in a bid to realise her dream of one day representing Zimbabwe in regional and international competitions.

The 21-year-old, who has relocated to Bulawayo from the Midlands mining town, has numerous medals in her cabinet that she won whilst competing for Great Dyke Athletics Club in Zvishavane as well as the Midlands provincial side.

She was one of only three women in the Midlands Under-23 provincial team at the rebranded Zimbabwe National Youth Games that were held in Hwange in 2017 at the age of 18.

“Look I am into athletics by calling; this is what I believe, but now to sit here and do nothing really pains me because ever since I came to Bulawayo, I have been struggling to get a club or even a coach. I strongly believe that I have a lot to contribute to athletics in Zimbabwe, but I can’t do that without a club or a professional coach,” Pfakacha told Chronicle Sport in an interview at her family home in Cowdray Park suburb.

Pfakacha said she joined Great Dyke Athletics Club when she was a Form 2 learner at Mandava High School in 2015, but always had challenges dedicating work to athletics due to other problems she declined to divulge.

“While athletics comes with talent, there are other things which can aide one’s God given gift such as having all the requisite equipment like training kits and so forth; this is something which was a big impediment in me realising my full potential during my time in Zvishavane. I was kept going by the likes of Elliot Mujaji, who even up to now is my huge inspiration. I just want to achieve greatness like him,” said Pfakacha.

She remembers vividly her first gold medal outside schools’ competition when she romped to victory in the Under-18 girls’ 100 metre dash at Maglas Stadium in the AA Mines Track and Field Athletics competitions in 2016.

“It was to be the start of many such feats. Of course, athletics being a competition, you can’t always win, there will be days where you come short of your expectations, but you have to dust yourself and aim to do better in your next race. This is why I do not want to dwell too much into the past, but just focus on the future, hence my desire to get a club here in Bulawayo,” said Pfakacha.