Online Reporter
Lovemore Dube,Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIMBABWE sprinters Tapiwanashe Makarawu and Makanakaishe Charamba showed that Zimbabwe can no longer be taken as a lightweight in world athletics with mouthwatering displays in the men’s 200m of the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan yesterday.
Both qualified with very good times with Makarawu by virtue of the second fastest time guaranteed a good lane in today’s semi-finals.
Both have had a good year in which they have broken the 200m record with Charamba setting a new time of 19.92 seconds in April to better Makarawu’s 19.94 set last year.
But in May Makarawu regained his status as national record holder with a great 19.84 seconds effort.
Both athletes qualified for last year’s Paris Olympic finals and were expected under the weight of great form in both indoor and outdoor to qualify for the World Championships semi-finals and even the final.
Running in Heat Two, Makarawu, was first with a brilliant 19.91 seconds, the second best to Brian Levell’s 19.84 in the opening round of the competition.
His time was faster than that of favourites Kenneth Bednarek of the US who clocked 19.98 to win Heat Three and top seed Noah Lyles home in 19.99 in Heat Four and Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo who timed in 20.18 seconds in a weak Heat 6.
Tebogo is the reigning Olympic champion.
Charamba was second in Heat Five with a time of 20.06 seconds to head to the semi-finals.
World 400m record holder Wayde Van Niekerk is also through to the semi-finals alongside countryman Sinesipho Dambile which promise fireworks and Zimbabweans are holding their breaths hoping the pair of Makarawu and Charamba repeat their Paris Olympics feat in which they reached the final, the first time the country had more than one athlete in the event.
Brian Dzingai finished fourth in the 2008 final at the Beijing Olympics.
Semi-finals
HEAT 1: Alexander Ogando (20.10s), Wayde Van Niekerk (20.19s), Timothe Mumenthaler (20.39s)
HEAT 2: Tapiwanashe Makarawu (19.91s), Courtney Lindsey (19.95s), Adrian Kerr (20.13s)
HEAT 3: Kenneth Bednarek (19.98s), Udodi Chudi Onwuzurike (20.27s), Sinesipho Dambile (20.27s)
HEAT 4: Noah Lyles (19.99s), Zharnel Hughes (20.07s), Christopher Taylor (20.26s)
HEAT 5: Brian Levell (19.84s), Makanakaishe Charamba (20.06s), Gout Gout (20.23s)
HEAT 6: Letsile Tebogo (20.18s), Xavi Mo-Ajok (20.35s), Towa Uzawa (20.39s)
