Mapaya’s date with destiny

01 Jan, 2023 - 00:01 0 Views
Mapaya’s date with destiny

The Sunday Mail

Deputy Sports Editor

EVERYBODY loves a good redemption story, and it does not get any better than the journey Zimbabwe triple jump champion Chengetayi Mapaya is about to embark on.

World Athletics recently announced the qualifying standards for the next edition of the Olympics, with the biggest story being Zimbabwe’s very own Isaac Mpofu making the grade.

His historic performance at the 2022 Valencia Marathon – where he finished a credible 12th with a time of two hours, six minutes and 48 seconds – saw him punch his ticket to the Paris Games.

Both the event and his time fell within the qualifying standard and period.

Mpofu is now set to make his second appearance at the Olympics.

Ngoni Makusha and Donata Katai hope to follow suit.

The two made their debut at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, held in 2021 after Covid-19-induced delays. They were awarded solidarity slots alongside another swimmer, Peter Wetzlar.

Mapaya was previously earmarked for one of those slots before he got injured at the US National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Track and Field Championship the same year.

The 24-year-old tore his hamstring during his third jump at the event, which was held in Oregon, Texas.

Of course, Mapaya did make a comeback and exorcised his demons at the 2022 edition of the same event, which incidentally was held in the same state and stadium where he was injured.

He captured the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Triple Jump title in style, as his championship winning jump of 17,26 metres also, incidentally, came in his third attempt.

Next up, the Olympics!

Mapaya was uncharacteristically cavalier about the qualifying standards, which currently stand at 17,22 metres for the Olympics.

“I mean, it is what it is (qualifying standards),” he said.

“I don’t really think they are tough, as I have already jumped above that (17,22m) before and I am not worried about them (qualifying standards),” he said.

“I believe I am one of the best in the world, and I can’t really be worrying myself about qualifying standards.

“My main focus is just executing my game plan when it matters, which is one of the areas I have been working on the last couple of months.”

What has been a constant worry for Mapaya are his hamstring issues.

“The last couple of months have been all about trying to get back to being 100 percent fit again, regrouping and re-evaluating the past season and how I can stay healthier and do better.”

The 24-year-old Mapaya graduated at the Texas Christian University (TCU) at the end of 2022.

“My goal was to qualify for the World Championships and wrap up my school commitments at TCU.

“I managed to do well. Remember that I was ranked in the top five in the world at some point during the season.

“I also managed to jump a new personal best (17,26m) this past season and won the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field title.

“These were a few of the good things that happened to me this past season,” he said.

The athlete will now turn professional and focus his attention on the Paris Games.

He had his first taste of the big time during a forgettable stint at the 2022 World Athletics Championships.

He found the going tough, as he finished 12th during the qualification stage of the competition, with a best jump of 15,75 metres, which was way below the 17,05m standard for the finals.

However, he took this as a learning curve.

“Executing on the day is key, and it’s been one of the biggest lessons I have learnt this past year. It’s that and staying healthy.

“These are some of the areas I have been working on with my coaches here in the US and hope to get right, as I want to qualify for the Olympics as soon as possible.”

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