Tinotenda Matiyenga
Lovemore Dube, CHIEF WRITER
INTERNATIONAL success for Zimbabwe in the athletics sprints appears are far-fetched as our athletes appear to be struggling on the international front.
With Fred Kerley the best performer in the 100m this year, Zimbabwe’s best in the distance is Tinotenda Matiyenga at position 177 with a time of 10.20 seconds.
As if to underline that the country is far off the mark, Ngoni Makusha’s 10.28 achieved in Lusaka, Zambia on 22 May this year is the 303th in the world while Makanakaishe Charamba’s is 442 on the list.
Tapiwa Makarawa with his 10.39 seconds find himself on number 600 and Kundai Maguranyanga’s 684 is on 10.42 seconds.
Only Matiyenga can compete at the highest level in competitions such as the Olympics and World Championships with a B Standard qualifying mark.
With Clinton Muunga’s 10.43 seconds, Zimbabwe has six athletes who could be worked on for a decent relay team. For better times they would need top level competition as individuals and a minimum of five relay competitions together in any athletics season to cause a stir.
Funding may put paid to their hopes.
But for the continental championships, Zimbabwe could be assured of a top eight slot.
The country’s performance in the 200m is lukewarm with the best at 118 with a time of 20.48 seconds being Makarawa achieved in Zambia.
Ngoni Makusha is 134, Matiyenga 175 and Kundai Maguranyanga with 20.82 seconds 360th in the world.
Noah Nyles is the world’s best with a time of 19.31 seconds.
In the past 200m sprinters have run either the 4x100m relay or the longer – the 4x400m.
A jogging Michael Norman whose 43.56 seconds is the world’s best time for 2022, may be too good for Zimbabwe’s Simba Maketa who has run a 46.44 seconds.
Leon Tafirenyika like Maketa would not even be good enough for the 4x400m relay with a time of 46.70 seconds just like Gerren Mukwishi whose 46.61 is not good enough nor Takudzwa Chiyangwa’s 47.04 seconds run in Kenya early this year.
Meanwhile marathon runner Isaac Mpofu’s 2 hours 07 minutes and 56 seconds achieved at the World Championships left him on 510 in the 42km All-Time list of times.
