Zimpapers Logo

hogged the limelight with another fine performance during a track and field meet in Florida, United States, at the weekend.
The 23-year-old Zimbabwean track and field star, who posted an astonishing winning time of 9.97 seconds in the 100m event during the Atlantic Coast Conference Outdoor Championships at Durham in Northern Carolina two weeks ago, took another first-place podium finish at the weekend – this time in the triple jump competition.
According to reports from Tallahassee in Florida, Makusha, a long jump specialist, was just in a class of his own as he won the triple jump event during the final day of the Florida State University Twilight meet on Saturday at Mike Long Track.
As usual, Makusha looked gold in the men’s triple jump, with a top spot on wind-aided jump of 8.35 metres.
His fellow Zimbabwean athlete Paul Madzivire performed well, too; jumping a wind-aided 7.94m.
Like Makusha, Madzivire is also on an athletics scholarship at Florida State University.
Makusha’s latest performance in the triple jump came hard on the heels of an outstanding showing in the 100-metre dash during the ACC finals on April 23 in which he clocked sub-10 seconds by stopping the clock in 9.97 seconds.
This recorded a new national record in Zimbabwe for the 100 metres, which had gone unbroken for more than two decades.
The old local national record of 10.15 seconds was set in June 1990 by Fabian Muyaba during the Chibuku International Track and Field Championships in Gaborone, Botswana.
But this has all been confined to the history books by Makusha after his trailblazing performance in the 100m-dash during the ACC finals in Northern Carolina on April 23.
And after setting the scene alight in the 100m event at the ACC finals in Northern Carolina, Makusha was back on the road at the weekend, competing in the FSU Twilight meet in Florida.
He was part of a strong Florida State University track and field side that walked away with several other event titles at this meet.
Makusha was emulated by junior Amy Harris who set a personal record and earned two wins for FSU.
Harris specialises in the long jump but that didn’t stop the junior from leaving her mark in the women’s 100m dash.
Moments after winning her primary event with a leap of 6.31m, Harris jogged across the track in time to take her block and sprint her way to a win and new personal record of 11.54 seconds in the 100m.
In that women’s 100m dash, Harris edged out her teammate, Bianca Smith, who ran an 11.85 while Briana Emanuel (12.36) was fifth, Morgan McGhee (12.63) was eighth and Amber Cambridge (12.64) was ninth.
Just like she did about 24 hours earlier, Teona Rodgers achieved an early victory on her home track. After taking the 200m dash on Friday, Rodgers ran to first place in the women’s 100m hurdles with a time of 13.67.
In the field, Michael Putman continued his dominant season with a win in the men’s discus throw. Putman won the event with a throw of 57.39m.
Michelle Jenije then leapt her way to a first-place wind-aided 12.64m in the women’s triple jump. Latera Davis’ jump of 12.08m was good enough for second place. Also earning a win on Saturday was Darrin Gibson, who took the top time in the men’s 800m run. Gibson finished the race in 1:49.24. “We got some things done today,” FSU head coach Bob Braman was reported as saying after the meet. “Amy Harris running like she did is huge. Once her speed on the track moves over to the jump she is going to really turn some heads.
“And Ngoni (Makusha) did great as usual with the wind. Overall we were pleased with both days. It sets us up moving forward we just have to keep after it.”