The Sunday Mail
Sixteen-year-old Dorothy Kavhumbura is jumping and running to mend a marriage.
Her parents divorced when she was two years old and every time she takes to the track for a 100 meters dash or to the fields for long and triple jump, she is motivated by the desire to see her family whole again.
She reckons an appearance at the Africa Youth Games in Algeria in July and also the Summer Youth Olympics in Argentina in October will help achieve that wish.
Kavhumbura is already the best youth triple-jumper in the region with a record jump of 11.88m and her coaches believe she will go far.
Confidence is the best outfit and she wears it all time, so much so that there is no hint of this young lady’s sorry upbringing.
An abusive father physically hurt Dorothy’s mother in Epworth where she grew up, eventually leading to her mother leaving him.
It does not end there as soon, her father went back to his first wife.
“I had to get food from our neighbours since dad left me for days,” said the athlete who has also enjoyed regional success in long jump and 100 meters races.
“Whenever he drank he would cause trouble, hurting my mom, so she eventually left.
“He started drinking more and then left me as well.
“I was only two years old,” said a poignant Dorothy.
Her mother then took her to Marondera, where she was now living, after hearing her baby was virtually living alone.
“I was suffering from kwashiorkor when she took me to live with her in Marondera together with my grandmother.
“They toiled for me to start schooling at Nehanda Primary, but when I was in Grade Four things got hard and I had to go live with dad in Mutoko.
“I went there and continued with school up to Grade Seven at Nyamakope Primary School,” she narrated.
As all this was happening, her athletics career took off.
The 16-year-old went to the 2015 Cossasa and National Youth Games where she scooped medals and trophies. But her welfare took another setback. “Dad could not afford to pay for my secondary fees, as he was unemployed, and so he took me to his sister’s place in Mabvuku and sadly she couldn’t afford too,” she said.
Sometimes no amount of huddles can stop someone who knows where they are going and it took a step of faith from Dorothy to continue with her character-testing journey.
“After two weeks at home I put on my Zimbabwe team tracksuit from the Cossasa games and went to Tafara 2 High where I kindly asked the Head to allow me train with their school team.
“He ordered to see my aunty and after their meeting I got a place and the school provided her with all I needed to be a student there,” said Kavhumbura.
But that wasn’t the end of her testing chapter as aunt would also live her home alone.
So Dorothy was living alone again until her maternal uncle, Richard Gaiseni, took her in.
She now lives with him in Kwekwe and is going to Manunure High School.
“Life has taught me a lot and I want to be big in athletics because that’s something I am good at,” she said.
“I know I have done well in this region but I have to do extremely well in Algeria before making it to Argentina.
“I am working hard because I am so excited it will be my first time to compete at such big events.
“I want to be on TV so that my parents can see me and be proud of me.
“I believe I will go far and be successful in athletics and help my parents in their lives and maybe have them living together and loving each other again,” said Kavhumbura, who also dreams of becoming an airhostess. She continued, “Deep in my heart, I wish to run on the same track Usain Bolt sprinted on and also do my field events there.”
His uncle Gaiseni wishes her the best.
“I pray that her dreams come true after what she has gone through and I hope she can find some sort of sponsorship.
“I am also grateful to my wife who saw it right to live with Dorothy as family,” he said.
Her coach, Reason Samambwa said, “Her background pushes her, she is self-driven and I have confidence our efforts will take her far.
“We are also pushing each other on academics because that’s another important area,” he said.
