adminMUMBAI. — Which are the first few names that immediately strike our mind when we hear of sport in Zimbabwe? Cricketers Heath Streak, Flower brothers Andy and Grant, or even tennis player Cara Black who partnered India’s Leander Paes to three Grand Slam titles. But two athletes from the African nation are also looking to now etch their names on that coveted list.
Cuthbert Nyasango and Prodigal Khumalo competed in the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon yesterday where they failed to finish in the top 10.
The two Zimbabweans arrived in Mumbai with great expectations of finishing in the top 10 but they found the going tough in yesterday’s race which was dominated by road runners from Kenya.
But Khumalo was not disappointed by his overall performance as he twitted after yesterday’s race:
“Done with Mumbai marathon what an experience. It was a joke at the finishing. I didn’t see my time but I think I made top 20 under 2:23.”
While Nyasango finished a creditable seventh at the 2012 London Olympics clocking 2:12.08, Khumalo won the high-altitude Township to Township Marathon at Durban in 2013 with a time of 2:24.44.
Nyasango made his running foray at the age of 18 with cross-country events and hasn’t looked back since.
With a personal best of 2:11.48 clocked at the Fukuoka marathon, the Nyanga-born athlete was seeking a top-5 finish.
“I had come to India in 2005 for the Delhi half-marathon and finished second there. I had enjoyed the Indian hospitality and always wanted to come back. I trained for three months before coming here.
“My target is to run the first 21km in 64 minutes and try to end the next 21 in lesser time.
“But I won’t needlessly go hard and will keep a constant pace. If I can do that I think I can go for the podium too,” Nyasango said on Saturday before taking part in yesterday’s race.
The 31-year-old said his London Games heroics forced the Zimbabwean Government to take athletics seriously.
“Our main sport has always been soccer and cricket. But our athletes did well in London to the astonishment of the Government and they have started to help some of us financially now.
“But we need to have training facilities and coaches like Ethiopia or Kenya for long-distance running.
“We need to learn from them as they are the marathon powerhouses. I would myself love to train in Eritrea as I have many friends there including Yonas Kifle, who I know for the last 11 years,” Nyasango said.
Khumalo, on the other hand, started to run professionally in 2002 with inspiration from friend Justin Chitake.
“Chitake told me I can make good money by running marathons and if I trained well I could even create a record,” said Khumalo, who works as a shoe salesman in hometown Bulawayo.
“I always wanted to compete in Mumbai. The prize money is good. This is a flat course, the weather is similar to what we have in Zimbabwe and the flights are cheaper,” said the Comrades marathon (90km) runner, who wishes good education for his sons Usher (4 years) and Lungisa (2 years). — The Times of India.
Online Reporter