Zimbabwean Sprinters Makarawu And Charamba Shine At Paris 2024 Olympics
Zimbabwean sprinters Tapiwanashe Makarawu and Makanakaishe Charambafinished sixth and eighth respectively in the men’s 200m final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games held at the Stade de France on Thursday night.
Running side by side in lanes two and three, Makarawu crossed the finish line in 20.10 seconds, while Charamba finished in 20.53 seconds.
The gold medal was won by Letsile Tebogo of Botswana, who set a blistering pace of 19.46 seconds.
USA’s Kenneth Bednarek claimed silver with a time of 19.62 seconds, and compatriot Noah Lyles had to settle for bronze in 19.70 seconds.
Lyles, who had been crowned the world’s fastest man just days earlier in a thrilling 100m final, was hampered by a positive COVID-19 test before the 200m event and had to be assisted off the track in a wheelchair.
The double gold had eluded Lyles, as he sought to emulate the achievements of Usain Bolt in 2016.
For Makarawu and Charamba, this was their Olympic debut, and the first time Zimbabwe had two sprinters reach the final of the 200m at the Olympic Games.
Makarawu, a silver medallist at the Africa Senior Championships held in Cameroon, told The Herald that he enjoyed competing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. He said:
It was a good experience. The finals today, it was enjoyable. It was the most relaxed race I have ever run in my life.
I wish I could get another lane between those fast guys but it is what it is. But I did my best coming sixth in the world.
Makarawu is also hopeful of next year’s World Championships after he qualified for the global meet when running 20.07 seconds in the first-round heats on Monday. He said:
It means a lot to me and it means that we are going somewhere as Zimbabwe, as (well as) me and my coach, I am just three places from the podium finish.
So, from today onwards I know what I need to work on and we will see how it goes from today until next year’s Tokyo World Championships.
Charamba, who finished last in the race competing at the Olympics was a dream come true. He said:
It’s my debut and I can’t complain of anything but I want to say it up from here.
To be honest I was scared. This is my first time racing these guys and these are big names.
But since the race is done now, and I have the experience, I will just carry it going forward, now I know what to do and what not to do going forward in the next championship.
So (I will) just get back to the drawing board, rest a bit then get into off-season training in a few months.
It’s a dream come true that I have made it to the Olympics, and everybody was counting me out like nobody thought I was going to make the final.
So now making the finals is a great feeling and finishing in the top eight in the world is great.
Nobody can take that away from me and I am just grateful for the journey and I am looking to a great career.
This championship was a learning curve for me.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwean distance runners Isaac Mpofu and Rutendo Nyahora will showcase their endurance at the 2024 Olympic Games, with Mpofu competing in the men’s marathon on Saturday and Nyahora taking on the women’s marathon event on Sunday.
More: Pindula News
