Zimbabwe sprinters maintain top 8 slot

ZIMBABWE’S top sprinters this year Tapiwanashe Makarawu and Makanakaishe Charamba have for the second week running maintained their slot in the eight fastest times over the 200m event in the world.

Both have qualified for this year’s Paris Olympics through their personal best of the season, which are better than the previous record of 20.05 seconds that was held by Brian Dzingai.

Dzingai ruled the roost for almost two decades before these two emerged in the last two months to lay a claim of being hopefuls for the country.

Makarawu the fastest Zimbabwean over the distance, ran the 200m in a time of 19.93 seconds to shatter Dzingai’s record at the Terry and Linda Fuller T and F Complex, Florida, in the United States of America.

He finished first on the day and overall his time is the fourth best of the season, with other athletes having posted 19.67, 19.71 and 19.75.

Charamba has not disappointed either as his 20 seconds flat is the world’s eighth best of the year. It was achieved at the Percy Beard Track in Gainesville in Florida in the US on May 11.
Both athletes have also done well to be among the top 12 and if they maintain their form, they could be athletes to watch in Paris.

Kenneth Bednarek ran the fastest time of the year when he came first and finished the race in 19.67 seconds on May 10 at Sukaim bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar.

Courtney Lindsey, another US athlete, has the second fastest effort after he completed the race in 19.71 seconds on 20 April this year in Nairobi, Kenya.

Could this be the year to get an athlete from the Central and Southern Africa Region emulating Frankie Fredricks’ heroics of the 1990s by getting to the podium of the Olympics?

Motswana athlete Letsile Tebogo boasts a 19.71 seconds, which he achieved on April 20 when he chased Lindsey to the gold medal in Kenya. Track officials had to separate the two after a photo finish camera decision.
Tarsis Gracious Orogot of Uganda holds the third best time of the season of 19.75 seconds achieved in Florida, US on May 11.

Former Matabeleland North Athletics Board chairman, Roy Phiri described the success of Southern Africa’s athletes as a positive development. He said systems must be put in place to nurture and develop the talent.
Phiri said athletes must compete with their peers at national, regional and international level so that they benefit from exposure.

“Something good is happening, we need to improve on our systems,” said Phiri.
Charamba and Makarawu joined Isaac Mpofu who runs the 42.2km who qualified for Paris in 2022.
Sprinters have up to June 30 to qualify for the Olympics.