The Sunday Mail
Tinashe Kusema
AS Pardon Ndhlovu sat attentively, listening to advice from legendary long distance runner and Kenyan Member of Parliament Wesley Korir, the day before his big race at last year’s Rio Olympics, his eyes couldn’t help but wander with slight envy to the adjacent table.There the United States girls gymnastics team of Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, Madison Kocian, Laurie Hernandez and Simone Biles – now collectively known as the “final five”- were having lunch in Hollywood style.
They were fresh off a clean sweep in the vault, bars, balance beams and the floor routine and had transformed themselves into stars.
“It was nerve wrecking, fun and memorable all at the same time,” Ndhlovu recalls. “I spoke for a while with Korir who advised me never to give up on my dream.
“I told him of how I managed to rise from running without shoes in Zimbabwe to one of the biggest races of my life at the Olympics. We chatted for a while, posed for some pictures and I went on to introduce myself to the US gymnastics team,” he said.
The next day Ndhlovu ran the biggest race of his life and finished a credible 41st out of 155 runners.
The Zimbabwean’s time of 2 hours 17 minutes and 48 seconds, while far off a podium finish, was enough to qualify him for this year’s Boston Marathon, slated for April 17, and the World Championship later in August.
“It was my very first Olympics and I am very proud of how I performed. Yes, I did not win a medal but I did my best and enjoyed the experience.
“Most importantly I did enough to qualify for this year’s Boston Marathon and the World Championships,” said Ndhlovu.
Born August 23, 1987; Ndhlovu was destined to forge his own path. His father – Peter Ndhlovu (no relation to the former professional footballer) – was a policeman stationed at Chikurubi Support Unit.
While his twin brother Paddington always appeared eager to follow in his father’s footsteps and is now an officer with the ZRP, Pardon had other ideas.
“I never wanted to follow in my father’s footsteps career wise. He was a policeman, and I did not want to be one. He played a little football, mostly for the police force, and I still can’t kick a ball to save my life.
“In primary school I was more into the arts and did a little dance but it proved too expensive for my parents as we travelled every week. “My father later told us to choose any other extra-curriculum activity and it is during that time that I started gravitating towards athletics,” said the 29-year-old.
In athletics, Ndhlovu found a way to a better life. After representing Zimbabwe and scoping accolades for Zimbabwe at the Southern Region Zone Six Games in Botswana 2004 and the 2006 Youth Games held in Namibia, Ndhlovu moved to the United States in 2013.
However, the move came after several heartbreaks. Ndhlovu failed to pass his Scholastic Aptitude Test “on at least five occasions”, before finally getting a scholarship to attend the University of Carolina in Pembroke.
Today, the long distance runner is a holder of a Masters’ degree in Business Administration (from Augusta University) and has a chance to become one of Zimbabwe’s finest ever athletes.
