Chronicle Editor
Lovemore Dube, Sports Hub Coordinator
A tall order lies ahead for Zimbabwe athletes bidding to take part at next year’s Paris Olympics as they have up to 30 June to make the grade.
A look at the country’s top sprinters reveals they all have a chance to run below the 10-second barrier for the 100m which is the shortest sprint at the competition.
The maximum time accepted for those who will be taking part is 10 seconds meaning athletes will have to run faster times if they are to cherish the dream of running at that level.
Zimbabwe has a number of sprinters in the reckoning with Tapiwa Makarawu the best in 2023 over the distance in 10,05 seconds. More training and work on tactics and opponents’ weaknesses could help him lower his time and be among the 56 runners to take to hits starting blocks when the Games begin.
Makarawu finds himself 64th in the world which puts him under pressure to lower his team and get a better ranking by 30 June.
Makanakaishe Charamba is another athlete with the right pedigree to do better and book himself a place at the Games as he posted a 10,15 seconds 100 for his second best among Zimbabweans in the 100m.
Plumtree star Clinton Muunga ran a third best 100m when clocking 10,22 seconds. He is pressed to chew 0,22 seconds to make the grade having run the 145th best time of 2023.
Makarawu is Zimbabwe’s best sprinter for 2023 as he stops the standings among his countrymen having clocked 20,10 seconds in the 200m which is within the 20,16 seconds limit for those bidding to qualify.
With 48 qualifying for the event, with a time of 20,10 seconds and world position of 27 in 2023, Takudzaishe Chiyangwa having run 20,20 seconds to position himself 41st, Zimbabwe’s athletes have it within their grasp to compete with the best at the world’s premier sports competition.
Tino Matiyenga who ran the 240th best time of the year as of yesterday, a 20,70 seconds would be a worthy addition if the country made a bid for 4x100m relay team in which the best 16 times of all nations would be considered.
Two athletes could make a strong bid next year for Zimbabwe in the 400m, that is Simba Maketo (45,22 seconds) and Chiyangwa whose best for 2023 was 45,77 seconds.
They would have to work extra hard to beat the barrier of 45 seconds to qualify.
A representative of the country in the 1982 Commonwealth Games 400m and 4x400m relay Njere Shumba, said it had been observed in the past that African athletes in American collegiate sport rarely do well at big competitions.
He said it is because their seasons would be over and they would have been exhausted with vigorous championships that start with indoor competitions in the preceding December and three or four months later they go on the outdoor track and field events.
“For them, their incentive is to keep their college scholarships and wait for next season. This sees them climax for their finals and by the time the Olympics come a month or so later, they have been sapped off their energy,” said Shumba in Zvishavane recently.
In the marathon, Isaac Mpofu with 2 hours 07 minutes 39 seconds is placed 146th in the world.
Online Reporter