Chronicle Editor
Ellina Mhlanga, Senior Sports Reporter
DEDICATED long-distance runner, Tendai Zimuto, has an upcoming opportunity to compete in the TCS Amsterdam Marathon this Sunday as part of his journey towards the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo next year.
The World Championships are scheduled for September 13-21 next year and qualification meets for various events are underway.
Zimuto is expected to travel to the Netherlands today to begin his journey towards securing his place on the team.
The time required for the men’s marathon is 2 hours 06 minutes 30 seconds, while women must achieve a time of 2 hours 23 minutes 30 seconds.
The National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (NAAZ) is particularly enthused about the marathon events, as there has been a consistent representation in previous years.
The last World Championships saw Isaac Mpofu, Ngonidzashe Ncube and Fortunate Chidzivo compete in Budapest, Hungary.
Tendayi Tagara, the Naaz president, has full confidence in Zimuto’s capabilities and anticipates his success in the qualifying round on Sunday.
“We are happy to announce that Tendai Zimuto will be travelling to Amsterdam Marathon where he has been invited to run.
“The association has purchased the air ticket for Zimuto’s trip and the organisers are meeting his accommodation and food expenses. We are happy that we are assisting our athlete who has the potential to qualify for the World Championships,” said Tagara.
Zimuto has been training under the guidance of veteran coach Benson Chauke for some time now.
He was part of Isaac Mpofu’s camp in Harare for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games led by Chauke and he continued with his training programme after the former left for the Games.
The Harare-based runner engaged Wellington Varevi and upcoming runner Gamuchirai Tsveta as his training partners during his preparations for Sunday’s race.
He is one of NAAZ’s hopefuls to qualify for the championships alongside Mpofu, who is also expected to continue with his outstanding performances when he returns to the road to try and qualify for the global meet in a few months.
The qualifying window for the marathon opened last November and closes on May 4 next year.
“Zimuto is the second best in terms of performance in the marathon at the present moment behind Mpofu. So, we know that if he qualifies, we are guaranteed at least two slots.
“We know definitely that Mpofu has no problem qualifying because he is already in that league of top times,” Tagara said.
This year, Zimuto competed in the Enschede Marathon, his first major marathon and clocked 2 hours 9 minutes 30 seconds to finish fourth.
Zimuto is one of three Zimbabweans who will be in action on Sunday, with the pair of Moses Tarakinyu and Blessing Waison competing in the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon.
For Tarakinyu, the Sanlam Marathon is a platform to get experience as he transitions from half-marathons and 10km races. Waison is targeting a personal best at the race.
Tarakinyu, who specialises in half marathons and 10km races, said he is ready for Sunday’s marathon.
“Preparations have been going on well, and you never know in terms of results but we are hoping something positive comes out of the race,” said Tarakinyu.
“My desire is to qualify for the World Championships and the Olympics in the future; that’s what inspired my decision to try marathon running.
“So, we decided to try now so that if I fail, I don’t put myself under pressure as I can always try again. So far, my focus is to run and finish the race to assess where I am.
“I am not worried about time. I just want to get the experience and see if I can finish the race. I am a novice in marathons, so it’s all about getting the experience.
“And during the preparations, we were working more on endurance and speed because speed is there from the half-marathons and 10km,” he said.
His personal best in the Half-Marathon is 1:01:38.
Online Reporter