BY SPORTSCAST WRITER
HARARE – Makanakaishe Charamba and Tapiwanashe Makarawu, Zimbabwe’s finest sprinters at the moment, on Monday stormed into the 200m semi-finals of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Charamba was the first to qualify after coming second in heat three in 20.27 seconds.
“The feeling is great,” Charamba told Zimbabwe Olympic Committee (Zoc) media in the French capital.
“I didn’t get a good lane, (but) I’m not a person that makes excuses.”
Charamba competed in the heat against Botswana sensation Letsile Tebogo, a 100m silver medalist at the 2023 World Championships.
“Tebogo is a great athlete but I was just focusing on my own race,” said Charamba. “I’m just happy that we’ve been able to put Africa on the map. I’m just going back to the drawing board and talk to my coach and see what happens. I’m just cherishing the moment, having fun and seeing what happens.”
Tapiwanashe Makarawu.
In the other heat, Makarawu finished second in heat five with a time of 20.07 seconds.
Tapiwanashe Makarawu (left) and Makanakaishe Charamba (right) with their Olympics coach Tabarie Henry on Monday.
The two young tearaways from Zimbabwe are both based in the United States. Their given names are rooted in religion, in Zimbabwe’s Shona language.
Makanakaishe: Lord, you’re good. Tapiwanashe: We have been gifted by the Lord.
The semi-finals are on Wednesday.
