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Innocent Kurira , [email protected]

FORMER American middle-distance runner Khadevis Robinson is heading to Zimbabwe for two training camps to be held in Bulawayo and Harare under the theme : “running and reading initiative.”

The first camp is set for White City Stadium in Bulawayo this coming Saturday before Harare gets its turn on July 15.
Manuel Mpofu who is co-ordinating the Bulawayo camp says they have put everything in place ahead of the much-awaited programme.

“All is set for the camp. We have managed to book the facility for the activity. Athletes should take advantage of this camp to learn various activities which includes training, reading and opportunities to qualify for major competitions. Coaches, managers and administrators are advised to attend the camp which is free,” said Mpofu.

The facilitator, Robinson, is an American retired middle-distance runner and coaches both the men’s and women’s cross-country teams and is also an assistant track coach for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Robinson specialised in the 800 metres with his personal best time being 1:43.68 minutes, which he achieved in August 2006 in Rieti.

Robinson is a four-time US Indoor Champion (1999, 2005, 2006, 2007) and Outdoor Champion (1999, 2006, 2008, 2009).

He is also a six-time silver medalist in the 800m at the US Outdoor Championships, including a pair of runner-up finishes at the US Olympic Track & Field Trials in 2004 and 2012.

Robinson won the 1999 USA Indoor Championships and was a finalist at the World Indoor and Outdoor Championships.
In 2002, he ran the fourth-fastest time in the world in the 800 meters in Finland with a personal-best  of 1:44.41.

Robinson helped shatter the American and world record in the 4×800 meters at the 2006 Memorial Van Damme with a 7:02.82. He concluded that year ranked No 1 in the United States and No 7 in the world in the 800m.

A 1998 TCU graduate with a degree in social work, Robinson earned his master’s degree in public administration from California State Los Angeles in 2004.

While in Southern California, he co-founded the non-profit Youth Track and Running Club. He was selected as a 2008 Ken Doherty Memorial Fellowship recipient, presented annually by USA Track & Field to provide researchers with the time and resources to pursue the serious study of track and field. He collaborated with fellow recipient Anne Merrem on a project titled, “Performance Enhancing Drugs and the Clean Athlete.” He has also served as president of the Track and Field Athletes Association.

In 2019, Robinson was selected as a USA State Department Sports Envoy Ambassador and that is when he visited Zimbabwe and worked with the embassy on gender-based violence initiatives.

Meanwhile, The Bulawayo Athletics Board (Bab) has opened entries for their Track and Field championships to be held at White City Stadium next week.

The event is scheduled for July 15.

Bab chairperson Watson Madanyika said they have already started sending invitations to clubs, schools, universities and colleges.

Entry fees are pegged at US$2 per event per athlete for cadets, youths and juniors, US$3 per event per athlete for seniors and US$4 per relay team.

The programme will commence at 8:00am

Events on offer are 100m,100mh, 110mh, 200m, 400m, 400mh, 800m,1500m ,3000m, 5000m, 4x100m relay, 4x400m relay, ZITF Coca-Cola 4 minute mile challenge, long jump, triple jump, high jump, javelin, shot put, discus.

After the track and field event, focus will shift to the Zimbabwe School of Mines 21km fundraising event aimed at raising funds to drill and equip the school with at least four boreholes.

It is set for July 29.

Registration for the event is now open with fees pegged at US$10 for the 10 km race, US$5 for the 5km race and  US$15 for the 21 km race. — @innocentskizoe.