Chronicle Editor
Ellina Mhlanga, Harare Bureau
UNITED States-based sprinter Tinotenda Matiyenga is set to represent the country in the men’s 200m event at the World Athletics Championships that gets underway next week at Eugene in Oregon, United States, after qualifying through the global ranking.
The National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe confirmed the development after receiving communication from World Athletics on Thursday.
NAAZ president Tendai Tagara said they are happy have one more athlete making the grade and are now going to filed three athletes at the meet.
“Remember there are two ways of qualifying, it’s either you qualify through the set standard or you qualify through the global ranking.
“Tinotenda Matiyenga has qualified through the global ranking.
We are happy that we were informed by the world board that Tinotenda Matiyenga has qualified for the 200m.
So, he will be running in the men’s 200m at the World Championships in Oregon.
“We are in the process of preparing to make sure he joins the team in Oregon next week.
So as a nation we are happy now we have a jumper, we have a marathon runner and a sprinter representing Zimbabwe at the World Championships,” said Tagara.
Zimbabwe last had a sprinter at the World Championships in 2015.
Matiyenga joins marathon runner Isaac Mpofu and triple jumper Chengetayi Mapaya at the global meet that is running from July 15 to 24 in Oregon.
Mapaya is also based in the United States.
Mpofu is the only local-based athlete that managed to meet the qualifying time in marathon.
He is currently working with coach Benson Chauke in Harare for his final preparations ahead of his departure for the United States next week.
Mpofu qualified for the men’s marathon with a time of 2 hours 10 minutes 24 seconds during the Durban International Marathon in South Africa in May.
Two weeks ago he participated in the 21km race at the Econet Victoria Falls Marathon and came second in 1 hour 3 minutes 44 seconds.
Chauke said they are just polishing up and preparing the athlete mentally as the competition gets closer.
“Basically there isn’t much, it’s just polishing up just before the major event.
And we are happy that we had an opportunity for him to do a half marathon before he goes to do the full marathon.
“So like he did with the Two Oceans, they went to the Two Oceans to run the 21km as a preparation for the Durban International, so we used the Vic Falls Marathon in the same manner.
“So we were getting feedback from him of how he felt, how he handled the Vic Falls race.
I was not able to go to see for myself but he is a senior athlete, we sit, we talk and we looked at the splits.
We are happy with the splits that he attained at the Vic Falls Marathon.
“Now we were just trying to maintain, polish up on speed work and simulating certain things that happen in the race like for example how to pick up the water from the table, you are coming out of a pack you want to pick your water bottle, how do you do that, those little things.
“And also do a bit of track speed work, a lot of stretching and just talking about the race, preparing him mentally, that kind of thing,” said Chauke.
Mpofu is expected to leave for the United States on Wednesday. His race is on July 17.
Londile Moyo
Bongani Ndlovu