Paris, France — Zimbabwe’s pair of Tapiwanashe Makarawu and Makanakaishe Charamba start their quest on the Paris 2024 Olympic Video games at the moment once they compete within the males’s 200m spherical one heats on the Stade de France.
The heats are scheduled for 7:55pm.
Makarawu and Charamba earned their slots on the Video games when operating the qualifying instances in the course of the qualification interval.
Charamba certified with a time of 20.00 seconds, beating the 20.16 seconds qualifying time. His private finest is nineteen.95 seconds.
Makarawu ran 19.93 seconds to earn his place on the Video games, setting a brand new nationwide document within the course of. It is also his private finest.
The 2 sprinters are making their maiden look on the quadrennial show-piece.
Charamba would be the first in motion, in warmth three the place he’s up in opposition to a number of the high contenders akin to Letsile Tebogo of Botswana. South Africa’s Benjamin Richardson can also be in the identical warmth.
Makarawu is in warmth 5 the place he faces the likes of USA’s Erriyon Knighton, who barely missed out on medals on the Tokyo 2020 Olympics when ending fourth.
However as he makes his maiden Olympics look, Makarawu isn’t studying a lot into his opponents.
“I’m simply going to have enjoyable, me and my coach mentioned this already. I’m simply going to have enjoyable with the opposite guys and simply run my race as a result of I had an extended season.
“I’ve been operating since January, now it is like eight months while I’m nonetheless operating, so no matter consequence I’m going to have tomorrow it’s what it’s. However I’m simply going to have enjoyable.”
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There are six heats and the primary three in every warmth advance to the semi-finals. All others go for the repechage spherical.
Within the new repechage format, athletes who don’t qualify by place in spherical one heats may have a second likelihood to qualify for the semi-finals by collaborating in repechage heats.
This replaces the previous system of athletes advancing by way of the quickest instances along with high placings within the first-round heats.
“But when I make it to the semis, I’m attempting by all means to keep away from the repechage spherical as a result of I do not wish to overload my physique in order that I may be good and recent for the semi-finals.
“These guys are actually quick to be sincere. Everybody is aware of that. However I’m not them as a result of I do know I’m not going to match their stage proper now as a result of it is the fact.
“I’m not being detrimental or one thing but it surely’s actuality . . . However it’s what it’s, I’m simply going to have enjoyable with them.
“I do know my physique is in form. I do know bodily I’m in form and I’m simply going to be on the market mentally match and go on the market and execute my race, and have enjoyable with the opposite guys,” mentioned Makarawu.
The repechage spherical is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon and the semi-finals are on Wednesday.
In the meantime, marathon runners Rutendo Nyahora and Isaac Mpofu arrived in France yesterday forward of their occasions scheduled for the weekend.
Mpofu will symbolize the nation within the males’s marathon on August 10 and Nyahora would be the final Zimbabwean athlete in competitors with the ladies’s marathon going down on August 11.
