Online Reporter
Lovemore Dube, Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIMBABWE is banking on hurdler Ashley Miller and triple jumper Chengetai Mapaya to secure last-minute qualification for the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, next month.
National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (Naaz) president, Tendai Tagara, said the pair could qualify via world rankings, which are based on performances from the 2025 season. World Athletics will select top finishers from last year’s Paris Olympics, with remaining slots filled through this year’s rankings.
“We hope Ashley Miller and Mapaya can qualify by ranking. Once they qualify, they will head straight to Japan from the US,” said Tagara.
Miller, who claimed bronze at the 2024 African Championships, is ranked 40th in the world with a season’s best of 55.09 seconds. Mapaya, with a leap of 17.15m, sits 15th globally — just 65cm behind the leading mark of 17.80m set by Italy’s Andy Hernandez.
Should they qualify, Miller and Mapaya will join a growing Zimbabwean contingent that already includes 200m runners Makanakaishe Charamba and Tapiwanashe Makarawu, marathoners Tendai Zimuto and Isaac Mpofu and 400m sprinter, Vimbai Maisvoreva.
Makarawu has set the benchmark this year with a blistering 19.84-second run, which doubled as a national record and placed him eighth in the world. Charamba follows closely with 19.92 seconds. Both athletes also hold the year’s fastest indoor 200m time of 20.13 seconds. Their performances at the Paris Olympics, where they reached the 200m final, marked a historic first for Zimbabwe.
Tagara confirmed that Mpofu and Zimuto are already in camp in Harare preparing for the marathon, while the sprinters continue training under the guidance of their professional coaches and managers.
“The 200m athletes are now professionals with their own teams. As a camp, the managers and athletes usually decide on programmes that include travel and training ahead of major events,” he said.
Beyond preparations, Naaz is actively seeking financial support for the squad.
“We’ve had a memorandum of understanding with Asics since 2019, which runs for 10 years. We’re looking for sponsorship to ensure athletes travel with support staff. We’re grateful to the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee for ticket sponsorship. We’re also seeking funding for athletes’ allowances. So far, preparations are going well. The marathon runners have been in camp since May. We’ve even appealed to the government through the Ministry of Sport,” said Tagara.
The World Championships are shaping up to be another major test for Zimbabwe, which last year celebrated a milestone when Charamba and Makarawu both reached the Olympic final. Now, attention turns to whether Mapaya and Miller can build on that momentum and secure their places in Tokyo.
