Chronicle Editor
Ellina Mhlanga, Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE Olympic Committee are optimistic they can still increase the numbers for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, with five athletes so far having secured their spots at the event.
Makanakaishe Charamba is the latest athlete to book his place at the Games to run from July 26 to August 11.
The United States-based athlete qualified for 200m when posting a time of 20.00 seconds over the weekend during the South-eastern Conference Outdoor Championships in Florida.
The qualifying time for 200m in the men’s competition is 20.16 seconds.
Charamba joins marathon runners Isaac Mpofu and Rutendo Nyahora, fellow-sprinter Tapiwa Makarawu and rower Stephen Cox, who have also qualified for the forthcoming Games.
Zimbabwe at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games had five athletes with three of them in swimming and athletics getting universality slots.
ZOC president, Thabani Gonye said they remain positive of sending an improved team in terms of the numbers compared to the previous edition with swimming, triathlon, golf as well as athletics still vying for qualification.
“I think very exciting. The news coming in over the weekend with Makanakaishe Charamba qualifying with a time of 20 seconds in the 200m.
“That becomes our second sprinter qualifying after Makarawu. He qualified with a 19.93 seconds time in the 200m. So, two sprinters making the grade, very exciting.
“That takes our number to five following Nyahora also getting a slot in the marathon. We are very happy also with that.
“That’s a total of five out of our target that we had when we set our strategy to try and achieve double of what we had in 2020.
“We hope that we can still have more athletes qualifying. I still hope that we have got one or two from athletics, who still have got the opportunity to qualify.
“And then in swimming, maybe we can get some slot obviously working with the national federation and international federation. We also still have hope in triathlon with Andie (Kuipers), who we are also supporting to try and get a push for the slot on qualification for Paris,” said Gonye.
He said they are also hoping something will come up in tennis.
Four of the five athletes that have so far qualified met the qualifying times.
Only Nyahora has so far received a universality slot.
“It means a lot. I think when we really look at it, when we qualify for the Olympics, those that meet the automatic qualifying standards, (it) means they are at the level where they are very competitive.
“So, going into the Games, you have an even chance with any one of those. Already, as I have said, when you look at our marathoner (Isaac Mpofu), when he is preparing, for the fact that he qualified quite early, he is going into competitions very competitively.
“He is not going into competitions as one of the numbers, but he is one of those you hope to get to the top 10. And as soon as anybody can place in the top 10, it means on a day, given a super performance or a very good performance, the person can medal or can go into the podium.
“Of the rankings that we are talking of, we already have three that when we are talking of, they have actually automatically qualified but with good times.
“So, that is actually quite a change and a positive progression in terms of where the athletes that are qualifying could actually end up placing at the Games,” said Gonye.
National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe director of coaching, talent identification and development, Lisimati Phakamile, said they are happy with the performances from their athletes.
“We are very grateful to the coaches and everyone else who has been behind and supporting these athletes to get to these stages.
“This is quite an important performance and important time in our calendar and in our mandate as an athletics association, to have athletes qualifying,” said Phakamile.
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